


Forever Yours

by snarfette



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bodyguard, M/M, Stalking, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-31
Updated: 2013-12-14
Packaged: 2017-12-31 02:27:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 40,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1026194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarfette/pseuds/snarfette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis is a mega-star with a problem. Harry is hired as his bodyguard. Despite an immediate attraction to one another, they clash as soon as they meet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Forever Yours - Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any person mentioned in this story. I am not making any money from the writing of this story. This has never happened which I think is pretty obvious.
> 
>  
> 
> Translation into Polish available here: im--boo.tumblr.com/post/122515970976/forever-yours-masterpost

Louis rolled over onto his side in his bed. He had been disturbed by a noise somewhere outside the house, but was only half-awake. If he was lucky, he’d be able to roll over and slip straight back into the dream he had been having. Just as he began to drift away again, a loud smash split the silent night air and Louis’ eyes snapped open. He moved suddenly to sit upright in his bed. Glancing at his digital bedside clock, he saw that it was just past two in the morning. He didn’t know what to do. Should he just stay put or should he go and investigate the noise? He guessed that the smashing sound was glass breaking and seeing as his house was set in its own grounds the noise had to have come from his own home. For the first time, he noticed that his dog was standing beside the closed bedroom door growling lowly.

“Ted, what is it?” he whispered. His voice was gravelly from sleep and he felt almost afraid to clear his throat. As he shuffled towards the edge of the bed, he heard hurried footsteps making their way along the hallway towards his room. His eyes widened as the dog began to growl more loudly and scratch at the bottom of the door. On any other occasion Louis would have told him off, but now he just stared at the door tensely. A moment later, the door was flung open. The dark bedroom was flooded with light from the hallway and Louis lifted his arm to cover his dazzled eyes.

“Lou, you alright?” a familiar and welcome voice called into the room.

The dog had recognised the person in the doorway instantly and had disappeared down the corridor barking excitedly.

“Zayn?” Louis said while lowering his hand away from his face as his eyes adjusted to the light. “What’s going on?”

Zayn stepped further into the room to speak to him. “Nothing to worry about,” he said calmly. “We just think some kids must have got into the garden and thrown a rock or something at one of the windows. It’s smashed but nothing too serious.”

Louis blew a long breath out and rolled his eyes. “Is that all? Just board it up for the night and get the glazer to come by in the morning. Don’t worry about it tonight. Get back to bed.” It seemed like he really wasn’t all that interested in what had happened and was more concerned with getting back to sleep.

Zayn nodded immediately, “I’ve got Tom fixing it up now. You get your head down, Louis. We’ll take care of everything.”

“Sure,” Louis replied, already yawning as he shuffled back towards his bed. Zayn turned and was about to leave the room when Louis called after him. “Oh Zayn, can you go fetch Ted and bring him back up here for me please? I don’t want him walking in any glass.”

“Sure thing, Lou,” Zayn replied as he pulled the door closed behind him. He made his way back down the hallway to retrieve the escaped pooch.

As he walked into the large kitchen Zayn saw Louis’ security guard, Tom, sweeping up hundreds of shards of glass from the floor. It was a simple job made difficult by the persistent pestering of Louis’ dog.

“Come here you,” Zayn said as he grabbed hold of the dog’s collar. “We wouldn’t want anything happening to you would we? Louis would fire us if you happened to cut yourself.”

Tom looked up at him and smiled grimly, knowing that it probably wasn’t an exaggeration. “Is he alright?”

Zayn nodded as he stroked the dog’s head. “Yeah, he’s fine. He’d heard the noise and I think he was about to come down but he’s gone back to bed now.”

“What do you want me to do with this?” Tom said as he picked up a large piece of rock with a piece of paper taped to it.

Zayn scowled as he looked at it. “I’ll take care of the note. Don’t mention it to Louis. I don’t want him worrying about anything.”

Tom nodded in understanding. It was always the same. They never bothered Louis with anything like this. Zayn said that actors were too temperamental and likely to freak out about everything. He said that they couldn’t afford for Louis to refuse to work or attract any negative publicity. Tom never argued with what Zayn told him to do. He was just security, Zayn was the manager.

Louis was one of Hollywood’s hottest young actors. He had been steadily becoming more and more famous and more and more popular over the last few years. Now he was a mega-star. He was in demand. Directors and producers wanted him in their movies, magazines wanted him on their front covers and people wanted to be seen with him. It seemed that everyone wanted a piece of him. Any other person might have gone insane under such pressure and scrutiny but Louis seemed to thrive on it. He had been in the public eye for years; he was used to it. He enjoyed the life he lived but he had become somewhat hardened to the things that went on around him. He just thought that it had to be that way. He couldn’t afford to be wounded by spiteful rumours that he heard about himself. It was easier to present a tough front than let anyone get too close or see him for who he really was.

There was an entourage of people that worked for Louis and followed him around. The closest person to him from that group was his manager Zayn. He truly viewed Zayn as his friend as well as his manager. He had been working with Zayn for five years and living with him for the last four. At first Zayn had suggested that he should live in Louis’ house so that he could be on hand to deal with everything easily. It had been a good idea and Louis had agreed. He liked having Zayn around and it meant that he wasn’t quite so lonely. Not that Louis would ever have admitted that he was lonely. How could he be lonely when everyone wanted to be his friend? Anyway, he had decided that his house was so huge that it seemed ridiculous to have just him rattling around in it. So Zayn had moved in and practically had his own wing of the house completely to himself.

Louis’ middle-aged security guard, Tom, occasionally worked nights. He was always present whenever Louis left his house and had recently found himself keeping a watchful eye over the house during the night a few times a week. That had been Zayn’s request. At first, Louis had been a little puzzled about why such a measure was necessary, but Zayn had managed to talk him into it and it wasn’t mentioned again. Tom had worked for Louis for many years and was completely loyal to his employer. He went wherever Louis wanted to go, always close-by to deal with any unwanted attention or any crowds of screaming fans. His size was usually enough of a deterrent to anybody that tried to get too close. He was a rather large man who basically acted as a human shield to protect Louis. If a problem had ever arisen that involved him moving quickly, he would have struggled. Fortunately, no such incidents had occurred – yet.

Once Zayn had returned the wriggling dog back to its owner’s bedroom and closed the door quietly behind him, he made his way back to his own room. Louis had told him to get back to bed but he was sure that he wasn’t going to be getting any sleep for a while. He entered his bedroom and walked over to his bed. Leaning down, he slid a black box out from beneath the bed and placed it on top. He pushed the lid off and sighed heavily as he looked at the sheets of paper inside the box. He added the note that had been attached to the rock that had been thrown through the window that evening to the top of the pile. For a moment, he just stared at the paper. It was marked in the same way as all the other letters and an involuntary shudder passed through his body. The situation was actually starting to frighten him.

Louis had a stalker. Someone who was completely obsessed with him and seemed to be becoming more and more delusional as the weeks went by. Zayn had been successful in keeping Louis completely in the dark about everything that was going on. He always managed to explain away strange things that happened. He didn’t want Louis to freak out unnecessarily. The problem was that things were starting to get out of control and starting to get much closer to home. A few weeks ago, the stalker had burnt a message for Louis into the grass beneath the balcony of his bedroom. Zayn had been quick to laugh it off and make light of it, blaming kids for having a joke, while he secretly panicked about how close the stalker was getting. Now the window had been smashed so that a note could be delivered to Louis. What was going to be next? Was Louis going to wake up one night to find some random freak standing beside his bed watching him? Zayn shuddered again. Things couldn’t go on like this anymore. He needed to improve the security of the house and Louis’s safety when he was out and about. Louis had always been against it but Zayn knew that there wasn’t much choice. They needed to employ a professional bodyguard.

***

As Harry pulled up to the gates at the end of the driveway, he wondered whether he should turn around now while he still had the chance. He wasn’t quite sure what had actually made him agree to Zayn’s request. Maybe it was the fact that he had known Zayn since they were at school and they had always gotten on well. Maybe it was the fact that he had just terminated a contract and was looking for a new job. He didn’t really know. The only thing he did know was that he wasn’t all that keen to be here. He hated actors. They were so far up their own backsides it was unreal. They didn’t give a shit about anything or anyone else so long as they were happy and getting paid millions for doing ‘fuck-all’ as Harry described it. His usual clients were normally high-ranking government officials. He had worked for a few different actresses when he had first started out a few years ago, but had never gone back after he had developed an immediate dislike for their attitude.

He had spent the last few years developing a reputation as one of the best bodyguards in the country. His work had taken him all over but he never stayed in one position for too long. For Harry, remaining with one client for too long meant he would get bored. Getting bored meant he would get careless. Getting careless meant that his client would end up hurt or worse dead. That wasn’t a risk he was willing to take, so he regularly moved on. There was no way he was going to risk having an injury or a death marring his reputation. His reputation was what kept him in business. He couldn’t afford to risk it, so even when his clients begged him to stay he refused and left them.

It wasn’t just getting bored that was a potential problem. It was also the possibility of getting too emotionally attached or comfortable around the person he was supposed to be protecting. Again, this was something that could lead to him becoming careless. Harry wasn’t careless. In fact he was overly care _ful_. Even during his relatively few years in his line of work he had become an expert at recognising potential dangers and weaknesses in security. He was a professional and he allowed nothing to get in the way of him doing his job. His attitude often came across as cold and stern but he didn’t care about that. He would rather appear closed-off than let a slip in his control cause his client to be put in danger.               

Staring at the gates, he questioned his sanity again. He tried to reason with himself. Maybe working with an actor would be good for him. Maybe it would be a refreshing change of pace.

He had completely refused the job when Zayn had first approached him last week. Zayn had left disappointedly but returned the next day to try to persuade Harry again. Harry was amused by Zayn’s persistence when he turned up for the third day in a row, but still refused the position. Each time Zayn returned, he offered Harry more money. After four days Harry began to soften to his friend’s desperate pleas and was close to accepting the job. He had decided to hold out for one more day to get Zayn to push the money up a little more. However, Zayn seemed to have detected Harry’s shift in attitude so when Harry told him ‘no’ again, he decided to play his trump card.

“Well, I’m sorry you feel that way. We really wanted the best but if I can’t persuade you I’ll have to look elsewhere. Do you know if Liam is working at the minute?”

Harry’s eyes had narrowed at Zayn’s words. There was no way he was going to let Zayn take this job offer to Liam. Liam was one of Harry’s closest friends; he was also one of his biggest business rivals. The two of them had trained together and had immediately hit it off. Unfortunately, they were both so stubborn and confident in their own skills that a heated rivalry had developed between them. They were the best of friends as long as they avoided the topic of work. When it came to business, they definitely weren’t friends.

Harry wasn’t going to let Zayn go off to find Liam and offer him a job that was meant for him. Liam would just love taunting him about that and about the money he was raking in working for an actor. No way; that job was his. He had scowled at Zayn like he was some sort of traitor before shaking his hand and agreeing to come to Louis’ house to meet him.

So Harry had to admit to himself that he really did know what he was doing sitting outside an actor’s house in his car. It wasn’t because he was doing Zayn a favour or because he needed the work. It was because he was too proud and stubborn to let Liam beat him at anything.

Drawing in a deep breath, he reached out of his wound-down window and punched in a number onto the security panel near the gate. He rolled his eyes as a green light flashed on the panel. There was no doubt in his mind that the four-digit number that Zayn had told him must have been the actor’s birthday. It was ridiculous. It would be so easy for anyone to walk up to the gate and punch that number in without having to spend much time figuring out the code. Harry didn’t know for sure; he just assumed seeing as every person he had ever worked for was just as predictable. He shook his head before driving his car through the now open gates and into the estate of the ‘superstar’ he was about to meet.

***

 Louis was not in the best of moods that morning. He had a pounding headache and had already had to deal with an incompetent costume designer sent round to the house. She was supposed be measuring Louis for an outfit he was to wear in his latest movie but she had taken so long over it Louis had nearly lost his patience and yelled at her. He had chewed on his bottom lip in annoyance while trying to keep his cool. The last thing he needed was for the stupid girl to go off selling her story about how she was verbally abused by Louis Tomlinson to the tabloids and gossip magazines. The reason he was so annoyed was that he liked it when things ran to schedule. He was a busy person, he had a lot of places to go and people to see and something as simple as that over-running messed up his plans.

He barely had time to sit down and have a cup of tea before his next meeting. Which was something else that was irritating him. Zayn had insisted on employing a new bodyguard. Louis couldn’t understand why they needed to when Tom had been doing a good enough job. They had argued about it briefly before Zayn won out telling him that it was what was expected of A-list stars and that Tom needed to share his work-load. Louis had grumbled about the whole thing and was less than keen to meet his new bodyguard.

As Louis sat in his kitchen drinking his tea chatting away with Zayn about their plans for the rest of the day, his best friend wandered in through the side door.

“Morning,” he greeted them cheerfully as he poured himself a drink.

“Morning,” Louis replied slightly grumpily. “How long have you been here?”

“Oh, I got here about ten minutes ago,” his friend replied as he sat down with them. “I’ve been talking to Tom outside.”

Niall, Louis’ best friend, spent so much time at Louis’ house that he almost treated it as his own. He came and went as he pleased and even had his own room that he could stay in if he wanted or if he was too drunk to drive home. Niall had been friends with Louis for years; he had known him long before Louis had become famous and Louis trusted him completely. He valued Niall as one of the only people he could trust to be completely honest with him.

“What’s up with you this morning?” Niall asked as he looked at his friend’s sulky face.

Louis rolled his eyes. “I’m meeting my new bodyguard this morning,” he said in a falsely chirpy voice. “And obviously I can’t wait.”

Niall smiled. “I’m sure it won’t be that bad. I thought it was someone _you_ know,” he directed at Zayn. “Surely you wouldn’t have picked anyone that was going to upset our precious princess would you?”

Louis huffed as Niall shot him a cheeky smile.

“I’m sure you’ll get on just fine with him,” Zayn tried to reassure him. “He’s a good guy. Very professional.”

Louis just grunted in response. He really wasn’t interested. The sooner this bodyguard showed up, the sooner Louis could tell him what he expected of him and then he could be left in peace.

Zayn and Niall continued chatting and Louis occasionally commented as they waited in the kitchen. After ten minutes, one of Louis’ housekeepers appeared in the archway leading into the kitchen. She cleared her throat and announced that there was a visitor to see them. Zayn jumped to his feet and walked forwards as Harry stepped through the archway and entered the kitchen.

Harry looked at the three men in the room and immediately assessed them. Of course he already knew Zayn who was shaking his hand vigorously, clearly grateful that he had actually turned up.

The other two men remained seated. The blonde one looked friendly enough, he smiled brightly at Harry and then looked back at his companion. The other man’s facial expression didn’t alter as he looked up at Harry. Even though Harry was hardly interested in the lives of the rich and famous, he knew instantly which of the two men was Louis Tomlinson. His face had been unavoidable in the last few years. Even if he hadn’t recognised him, Harry still would have known which one was his new client. He would have known by the spoilt-brat look on his face as he clearly thought he had better things to be doing, like having his hair done or lying by his swimming pool. Harry made his assessment of his new client quickly and waited to be introduced.

Meanwhile, Louis was waiting for an explanation. When he had looked up and seen the tall, lanky, smartly dressed man standing in the archway he thought that there was some mistake. The guy was hardly huge like he expected a bodyguard to be. He was tall and all long limbs beneath his fitted dark grey suit but he wasn’t exactly the ‘human shield’ Louis had imagined. On top of that Louis was trying to get his head around the fact that the man standing in his kitchen was _beautiful_. Louis couldn’t think of another word to describe him. A mop of brown, curly hair that was somewhat styled sat on top of his head, he had striking green eyes that seemed to be surveying everything in the room, high chiselled cheekbones and soft-looking pink lips that had hardly moved since he had entered the kitchen. He appeared to be the strong, silent type. ‘ _But maybe strong isn’t the right description_ ,’ Louis thought to himself as he looked the new arrival up and down quickly and wondered how he could possibly claim to be a bodyguard. He kept his face perfectly blank though. He didn’t want to give too much away, especially not the part about him mentally undressing the stranger. There was a reason why he was one of the best actors around and he was using his skills now.

“This is Harry Styles,” Zayn said interrupting Louis’ thoughts.

“Right,” Louis drawled casually. “I wasn’t aware that bodyguards had personal assistants. When does the _bodyguard_ actually arrive?” He looked at Harry and their eyes locked. Harry didn’t react to the comment. He knew that Louis was being deliberately awkward and trying to get a rise out of him. He just waited for Zayn to explain.

“No, Louis,” Zayn said, sounding a little awkward. “Harry _is_ the bodyguard.”

Louis chuckled slightly, “Oh I’m sorry, you just aren’t quite what I had in mind.”

Harry nodded shortly. He really wasn’t surprised or bothered by Louis’ comments. He knew that he was the best at what he did and he knew that the best bodyguards weren’t giant meatheads.

Zayn still seemed awkward as he continued. “Um, well…Harry Styles this is Louis Tomlinson.”

Harry stepped closer to where Louis was sitting and reached out his hand. Louis eyed it for a moment before shaking it. He tried not to wince at Harry’s surprisingly strong handshake.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Harry said. “I’m sure that Zayn has told you about my record and I can assure you that your security will be the best in the country whilst I’m working with you.”

Louis noticed how Harry didn’t say ‘working _for_ you’. He smiled sarcastically before he looked at Zayn again. “I still don’t see why I even _need_ a bodyguard,” he said bluntly.

Louis hoped that the comment would cause Harry to feel uncomfortable, but instead the bodyguard just looked at Zayn with a slightly quizzical expression.

Before Zayn could come up with a reply, Harry had jumped in. “There appears to have been some sort of mix-up here. I was under the impression that my services had been requested. If there’s no need for me to be here…”

Zayn interrupted him before he could say anymore, “No, no. There is a need for you to be here. Could you just go outside and give us a minute please Harry?”

Harry looked at his old friend steadily and gave him a ‘don’t-mess-me-about’ look before nodding slightly and walking out the side door of the kitchen and into the garden.

Louis just sat in his seat and sipped at his tea with a smirk pulling at his lips.

“Are you deliberately trying to cause trouble?” Zayn asked him irritably.

Louis raised his eyebrows and tried to look innocent. “I just asked a question,” he replied sweetly.

“A question that we’ve already been over hundreds of times Louis,” Zayn told him.

“Yeah well, I know all your reasons but I still don’t see why you’ve chosen _him_. He hardly looks like a bodyguard and he looks even younger than me. How has he even got enough experience to do this job? How is _he_ supposed to protect me?” Louis said sulkily.

“You’ve only just met him!” Zayn said in exasperation. “He’s a professional and he’s the best at what he does. You always say you only want the best. Niall? Help me out here would you?”

Niall smiled widely at being dragged into the conversation as always. “Zayn’s right, Lou. If this guy really has the amazing reputation that Zayn says he has, he’s obviously the right person for the job. Give him a chance. If it doesn’t work out, you can get someone else.”

Louis huffed slightly at being out-numbered, although it happened quite often when he was confronted by Zayn and Niall. He made a non-committal noise and waved his hand. Zayn took that as his acceptance of the situation and decided to go and break the good news to Harry.

 

Harry had been surveying the expansive grounds that spread out before him as he stood on the patio outside Louis’ kitchen. The land seemed to roll away into the distance and he marvelled at how much space Louis had all to himself. Something in particular had caught his eye though. It seemed that a large patch of grass to the right of where he was standing had been scorched in the recent past. It was too far away for him to work out what had happened but it certainly seemed out of place in the otherwise well-kept garden. He took a few steps to his right to be able to inspect the unusual patch of grass more closely but, before he had the chance, the door from the kitchen opened and Zayn stepped out.

Zayn smiled and walked towards him. Harry turned to look at him as he approached, making a mental note to find out what had happened to the lawn.

Zayn rolled his eyes dramatically as he reached Harry. “Sorry about that,” he said gesturing over his shoulder. “You know how actors can be. They’re all temperamental and touchy about stuff.”

Raising a suspicious eyebrow, Harry replied, “Well it seemed like he didn’t understand the urgency of his situation at all. You made it seem like he was terrified and had requested heightened security, but the way he acted a moment ago I would have thought that he wasn’t all that worried. It’s pretty hard to work with someone who isn’t even bothered about their own safety.”

Zayn was shaking his head quickly. “No, no, it’s not like that. He’s an actor; he was putting a brave face on it all. He wanted the best, that’s why I came to you.”

“You don’t have to keep sucking up to me now, you know. You’ve got me here. I’ve agreed to take the job,” Harry replied bluntly.

Zayn might have been surprised by Harry’s attitude if he hadn’t known him for so long. He cleared his throat before offering to take Harry on a tour of the house and the grounds so that he could familiarise himself with the area.

***

Much later, after Harry had made a thorough examination of the house and complained about the appalling lack of security around the property, he left. He hadn’t seen Louis again during his tour and he wasn’t exactly disappointed. When he had first entered the kitchen that morning, he had been a little distracted by the brown haired man with startling blue eyes. It had only lasted a moment though as his professional demeanour took over and he assessed everything around him including the people in the room. After witnessing Louis’ awkward attitude, he had decided that this actor was no different from all the rest.

Harry was scheduled to return to Louis’ house the next day, when his overhaul of the security around the mansion and its gardens would begin. He was going to spend the rest of his day planning and making notes about the many alterations that he would have to make. There was no doubt in his mind that his plans would seriously irritate the ‘temperamental’ actor, but they were there to keep Louis safe so he would just have to accept the changes. It wouldn’t be the first time that Harry had encountered resistance to his methods and he was certain that he would win any battle of wills that occurred.     


	2. Forever Yours - Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is very loosely based on the concept of the movie ‘The Bodyguard’.  
> Also, when I wrote this I was picturing the guys being a few years older than they currently are, probably mid-twenties-ish.

By the following afternoon, Harry had already begun to make changes to Louis’ house. He had turned up early that morning, before Louis had even stirred from his bed, and started discussing his plans with Zayn. Zayn had agreed with all of Harry’s suggestions; willing to do whatever it took to make the house and its grounds more secure. Louis had appeared during the morning, taken one look at Harry sitting talking to Zayn and turned around and left. Harry didn’t take offence at Louis’ behaviour; what else should he expect from some spoilt bratty actor?

 By midday, Harry had already arranged a team of fencing specialists to begin constructing a tall fence around the outside of the rows of pine trees that surrounded Louis’ property. He could hardly believe that the only existing barrier around the garden was a row of trees and had decided that had to be the first area to be improved.

 There had been no sign of Louis since his brief appearance that morning and after his discussions with Zayn, Harry had set to work outside using the garden table as his base. He worked without interruption until Zayn approached him clutching a black box. He stood in front of Harry looking agitated before Harry gestured for him to sit down.

 “I know you’ve been wondering why I’ve been so insistent on the increased security,” Zayn said as he sat down and placed the box on the table.

Harry couldn’t pretend that he wasn’t interested. He had been curious about why Zayn had suddenly decided that they needed to improve the situation and was keen to finally be told the reason.

Zayn pushed the box across the table towards Harry and lifted the lid away. He waved his hand over the top of the box and pulled a distasteful face. “This is why,” he said simply. 

 Harry pulled the box a little closer and lifted out the first piece of paper. He scanned it quickly before looking up at Zayn. He didn’t say anything as he reached into the box again and took out another note. Silently, he read each piece of paper, his expression becoming more and more grim with each letter he read. Finally, he placed all of the messages down onto the table and looked at Zayn seriously.

“How long has this been going on?” he asked.

Zayn shrugged slightly, “About a year now.”

“ _A year_?” Harry repeated loudly. “Jesus Christ. You didn’t think you should do anything about it until now?”

Zayn looked at the papers guiltily, “I had hoped that the problem would go away. It just started out with some harmless fan mail, but then as time went on the letters got darker and darker and suddenly they changed into threats of violence and…well, you’ve read the most recent ones. They’re pretty graphic and disturbing.”

 Harry nodded silently, the tone of the messages had changed. Whoever was sending them was obviously becoming more and more angry and delusional as the weeks went by. “Well there’s obviously a theme running through them all,” he said eventually as he picked up a few of the letters. “They all end with this ‘Forever yours’ message at the end. It must have some significance.”

 Zayn nodded quickly, “Yes it does. Louis was in a movie called _‘Forever Yours’_ , it was a romantic drama about a guy who died and came back to visit his girlfriend and take care of her even after his death. It was released about a year ago and these letters started arriving after that.”

 Again Harry just nodded. He was deep in thought and stayed silent for a while. Suddenly, he lifted the most recent note up and looked at it more closely. “Why is this one so screwed up?”

It seemed like a pointless question and Zayn just looked at him curiously.

“This one is a mess,” Harry said as he waved it at Zayn. “The others are all neat and tidy like they’ve been delivered like any other letter, but this one is all ragged and bent.”

Zayn gulped slightly and Harry stared at him intently waiting for an answer. “That one didn’t come through the post,” he muttered quietly.

Harry hadn’t missed what he’d said though and immediately leant forward in his chair, “If it didn’t come through the post, how did it get here?”

Zayn lifted his eyes to look at Harry and replied quickly, “Whoever sent it was here the other night. They-threw-a-rock-through-the-kitchen-window-with-the-note-attached.” He spoke so quickly that Harry took a moment to process the information.

“They threw a rock through the kitchen window? This person was close enough to the house to actually do that? That explains why you’re so freaked out then,” Harry said as he continued to look at Zayn steadily. He remained completely still where he was for a moment before pushing his chair back so suddenly that Zayn actually flinched. He disappeared from sight for a moment before marching back to the table a minute later. “Forever yours,” he said simply. “The rock through the window wasn’t the first time the stalker’s been here was it? ‘Forever yours’ has been burnt into the grass outside the kitchen.”

Zayn nodded glumly, “That was about a month ago now.”

 Harry sat back down in his chair slowly and licked his lips. “So Louis has a stalker who is completely obsessed with him and who has actually been to the house, at least twice. I’d say you’ve done the right thing calling me in now before this goes any further.”

“What do you think the stalker would try next?” Zayn asked trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

“It’s hard to predict but I’d guess that direct contact would be the next step. Hiding behind letters and messages will only satisfy him for so long. If he’s already had the tenacity to come to the house, I don’t think he’ll be afraid to try to get as close as possible to Louis.”

“He?” Zayn asked, although he wasn’t that surprised.

“Yeah, definitely a male,” Harry replied as he looked back down at the papers spread out on the table. “Just the things he says and the way he writes them.” He didn’t elaborate and Zayn was glad. He didn’t really want to know the inner workings of some psycho’s mind.

 Harry and Zayn remained where they were for a while, discussing the messages and the seriousness of the situation. Zayn felt truly terrified by the end of the conversation but he tried not to let Harry see it. As he gathered up the letters and piled them back into the box, Harry moved from his chair to see how the fence was coming along. Zayn watched him walk away and felt a small sense of guilt nagging at him. He hadn’t told Harry that Louis wasn’t aware of his stalker. Part of him knew it was wrong and ultimately terribly dangerous for Louis to be kept in the dark, but some part of him kept telling him that it was for the best. Besides, they had employed the best bodyguard in the country now. As long as _he_ knew everything, surely that was all that mattered.  

***

Four days after Harry had been employed by Zayn, Louis was in a foul mood. He couldn’t stand all the changes that Harry was making to his home and had been completely pissed off when he had returned home to find that the gates at the end of his driveway had been taken down and changed. Not only that but the security code, which had always been his birth-date, had also been changed leaving Louis seething. He had stared at the back of Harry’s head hoping to burn him with the intensity of his glare as they had driven up the driveway.

That was another thing that was pissing Louis off. He was no longer allowed to go anywhere on his own. Harry had to accompany him _everywhere_. The first morning that he had left the house and found Harry standing talking with his driver Louis had demanded to know what was going on. Harry looked a little surprised that Zayn hadn’t filled him in but proceeded to explain how things were going to work from now on. Louis had looked just about ready to explode as he slid into the back of the car. Harry had sat in the front seat all the while wondering why Louis was so resistant to someone trying to keep him safe. Maybe he had a death-wish, or maybe he was just a pretentious, little prick.

Louis stormed into the house and found Zayn in his office. “What the fuck is going on?” he shouted angrily.

Zayn looked up from his computer and blinked rapidly a few times at the irate star standing in the doorway. “What do you mean, Louis?” he asked.

“I mean, why is that arsehole ruining my life? Everything was fine before he turned up but now he’s changing everything. I never wanted a fucking fence around the garden, I didn’t want security cameras everywhere and I certainly didn’t want a new code on the main gate. I can’t even fucking remember the number he’s set it to! It’s _my_ fucking house!” Louis ranted and waved his hands around animatedly.

“It’s all for your own good, Lou,” Zayn tried to pacify him.

“I don’t care,” Louis shouted again. “I don’t see why I even need all this stuff and why is he following me everywhere I go? It’s like having a fucking stalker!”

Zayn flinched at how close Louis was to the truth with that comment. He stood from his seat and walked towards Louis. He reached past him and pushed the office door closed before guiding the seething actor to sit down on the leather couch in the room.

“Listen Lou, you’re becoming more and more famous by the day. My job is to look after you and keep everything running smoothly. We can’t afford for some crazed gang of teenagers to come bursting in here or some sneaky paparazzi to try to get some photos of you. We need this security and Harry’s the best man for the job.”

“Harry’s a dick,” Louis mumbled. He had calmed down substantially but still felt a lot of resentment towards his new bodyguard.

“He’s not a dick,” Zayn laughed slightly. “He just knows what he wants and isn’t afraid of getting the job done.”

Louis huffed. “He’s a dick,” he repeated. “I know you say he’s the best, blah, blah, blah, but that doesn’t mean that I like him _or_ want him around.”

Zayn rolled his eyes at his friend. “You don’t have to like him. You just have to let him do his job.”

“Whatever,” Louis replied as he pushed himself up from the couch. “I’m going for a lie down.”

***

The following day Louis’ mood was darkened even further. He had been woken up early again by the noise of workmen ‘improving’ the security of the house. He dragged himself out of his bed and walked towards the balcony of his bedroom. Stepping out, he scowled at the sight of people milling about below, busily messing up his home as he viewed it. However something else immediately drew his attention. Across the lawn, Louis’ swimming pool was glinting in the early morning sunshine. On the other side of the pool, Zayn was standing talking to Harry, pointing at the pool-house. After a few moments, Harry stooped down and picked up a large gym bag before following Zayn into the pool-house. Louis’ eyes widened and he shook his head in disbelief. He wasn’t sure what he had just witnessed, but if it was what he thought it was, he was truly pissed off. Without hesitating, he stormed out of his bedroom and through the house.

As Louis approached the pool-house, he could hear voices from inside. That didn’t stop him stomping through the open door and interrupting.

“What’s going on?” he demanded as he looked between Zayn and Harry accusingly.

“Oh, morning, Lou. I didn’t realise you’d be up yet,” Zayn said, smiling nervously.

“Yeah, well it’s fucking impossible to sleep with that lot banging about outside every morning,” Louis snarled in response. “What’s going on?”

Zayn glanced towards Harry quickly before looking back at Louis. “Well, I was going to talk to you about this today, but Harry and I were discussing your security yesterday and we thought it’d be best if Harry moved into the pool house.”

“WHAT?” Louis erupted. “Why the hell would you think that was a good idea?”

Zayn raised his hands trying to halt Louis’ fury. “It makes sense to have him right here on hand. Anytime you need him, he’s close by. It’s for the best.”

Louis was practically shaking with rage. “Do you think that you might ever consult me on any of these plans?” he ground out. “You keep making all these huge decisions without my consent. What if I don’t want him living here?” He stared at Harry icily, not even bothering to hide his annoyance.

Harry met Louis’ angry glare with a blank expression. He didn’t really care whether Louis liked him or not; that wasn’t why he was there. A small part of him almost wanted to laugh at the sight of the famous actor standing before him having a tantrum whilst looking completely dishevelled. Louis had obviously just climbed out of bed as his usually immaculate hair was sticking out in various directions and he wore nothing but an old t-shirt and his boxers. He was obviously so irate about the situation that for once his appearance wasn’t the first thing on his mind. Even though Louis looked furious, Harry couldn’t help but think that he looked the best that he’d ever seen him; he looked completely natural, he wasn’t playing up to an image, he was just a normal guy.

Something was bothering Harry though. He just couldn’t understand why Louis was so set against him protecting him. After Harry had seen the many messages that Louis had received from his stalker, he had understood the urgency of the situation and realised why Louis had requested heightened security. But something just didn’t sit right with Harry. Louis’ attitude was all wrong. He didn’t seem like he was terrified, he didn’t even seem slightly concerned about the problem. As he watched and listened to Louis’ angry exchange with Zayn, he suddenly realised what was going on.

Zayn had finally managed to calm Louis down enough to send him back to the house to get dressed. He turned around to face Harry and smiled weakly.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “You know how he is.”

Harry nodded sharply before picking up his gym bag suddenly. “I don’t think that there’s much point in me unpacking.”

Zayn’s face fell. “Oh don’t let him being a diva make you leave. He’ll get over it.”

“That’s not why I’m going,” Harry said simply. “I’m not going to be able to take this job after all.”

Zayn looked wild with panic, “What? What do you mean? Why not?”

Harry fixed him with steady expression. “I can’t work with Louis if he doesn’t know why I’m here.”

Zayn started stumbling over his words, trying to come up with the right thing to say.

“Save your breath, Zayn,” Harry cut him off. “It’s obvious that he has no idea about what’s going on. I thought there was something weird right from the start but I couldn’t quite understand it. I can’t believe you haven’t told him that he has a stalker. The guy has a right to know. It’s my job to protect him, but it’s impossible to do that if he doesn’t realise what’s going on. I can’t protect someone who isn’t aware of the danger they’re in. The odds are stacked too highly against us.”

Zayn looked at the bodyguard guiltily.

“Either you tell him or I’m gone and you can deal with this on your own,” Harry told him.

Zayn nodded immediately, “Alright, I’ll tell him today.”

“Now,” Harry corrected him. “You’re telling him now and I’m going to be there.”

If it was possible, Zayn looked even more worried but he nodded in agreement. Harry set down his bag and followed Zayn out of the pool house to find Louis.

Half an hour later, Louis was sitting at his breakfast bar looking sullen as Zayn and Harry sat down opposite him. Zayn placed the black box onto the table top and rested his hand on top of it. He glanced at Harry but before he could speak Harry had taken charge of the situation.

“Louis, I’m afraid there’s been some miscommunication since I’ve been here,” he began. “My job is not to make you miserable in your own home, it’s to make you secure. I didn’t understand why you were so angry about my presence here but now I do. You don’t understand the reasons _why_ I’m here. We can’t work together unless you know the truth.”

Louis had been looking increasingly confused yet curious as Harry had continued to speak. He leant forward as he replied, “What do you mean?”

“I’m afraid you’ve been kept in the dark about what’s been going on. Zayn was only trying to protect you from it, but he realises now that you need to know everything.”

Louis looked at his manager questioningly but, Harry was pleased to see, there was no anger on his face.

Zayn patted the box before him as he looked at Louis steadily. “I should have told you about this a long time ago, Lou, but I didn’t know how to and I didn’t want to worry you. I don’t really know how to explain it now.” He paused as he braced himself for Louis’ reaction, “We think that you have a stalker.”

Louis blinked rapidly a few times as a look of complete disbelief flashed across his face. “No,” he said after a moment. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Zayn shook his head sadly, “I’m serious, Lou.”

Louis was shaking his head. He looked between Zayn and Harry quickly, hoping that one of them would laugh and tell him it was all a joke, but they both wore solemn expressions. He didn’t say anything as he looked between them.

“I think you should show him the letters,” Harry interrupted the silence.

Louis looked at the black box anxiously as Zayn slid it across the table towards him. Slowly, he lifted the lid away and began to read the message at the top of the pile. He didn’t look up as he put it down and read the next letter. He read each note in silence, never looking up at the other two men until the pieces of paper were piled up on the breakfast bar. Eventually, he pushed the empty box away and looked up slowly.

For the first time since he had met Louis, Harry actually felt sorry for him. He had paled significantly and he looked like he had just received terrible news. He _had_ just received terrible news – he had just found out that he was being stalked by a delusional mad-man.   

“So… this person really wants to hurt me,” Louis said eventually.

“It seems that way, yes,” Harry replied.

Louis seemed lost. He was staring into space. For once he didn’t have anything to say and the silence seemed wrong somehow. Even Harry didn’t like the fact that Louis was so quiet.

“Louis?” Harry tried to get his attention. “Louis?” Eventually, Louis looked at him and Harry smiled slightly. “Now you know everything, you have a decision to make. If you want me to work with you and protect you, I’ll stay. I can promise you that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. If you’d rather deal with this in your own way, that’s fine, I’ll leave. But I think it’s got to be up to you. I can only keep you safe if it’s what you want.”

Louis stared at him for a while as though he was assessing the situation in his mind. “I think I’d like you to stay,” he said quietly.

Harry didn’t feel any sense of triumph upon hearing Louis’ words. He just felt relieved that Louis had made a sensible decision. He nodded once in understanding.

“If you want to talk about any of your security, or anything else, just come and find me,” he said. “If I’m not needed here, I’ll leave you two to have a chat.”

Harry didn’t really need to be present when Louis snapped out of his daze and berated Zayn for not telling him the truth sooner. He took himself back to the pool-house to unpack his things before going to check how the work on the house was coming along. He couldn’t help but think about Louis and how his whole life had been flipped upside down this morning. He was glad that Louis had decided to let him work with him and he hoped that his plans would be met with a lot less resistance from now on.    


	3. Forever Yours - Chapter 3

If Harry thought that things with Louis were going to be easy once the actor had discovered the truth, he couldn’t have been more wrong. For the first few days after finding out about his stalker, Louis seemed quiet and, as Harry described it privately, ‘well-behaved’. However, after the initial shock had worn off Louis seemed to have rediscovered his ‘superstar’ attitude much to Harry’s annoyance. He was convinced that Louis had a death-wish and he could hardly believe that anyone could be so blasé about their own life.

In truth, Louis was freaked out by what he had been told and the letters he had read. He had spent the first few days quietly contemplating how to deal with the news that he had a stalker who was clearly deranged; wondering if he should go into hiding or give up his life as a famous movie star. As time went by though he began to get angry that some anonymous person was making him so afraid. He hated the fact that this person was able to make him so scared just by writing him some letters. He decided that he wasn’t going to give in to the fear. Whoever was stalking him was just a nameless, faceless freak who hid behind threatening words in letters because he didn’t have the balls to come and meet him face-to-face. Not that Louis wanted to meet his stalker; far from it. He never wanted to meet the person that was responsible for the messages he had received but he also wasn’t going to be frightened into never leaving his house by him. With a new resolve to carry on as normal, Louis tried to get back to his ordinary life.

Harry and Louis had clashed several times over the last week. Mostly because Louis wanted to carry on as he always had and Harry wanted him to break away from his routines. Harry continued to accompany Louis everywhere he went and despite understanding the situation, Louis still showed resistance to Harry’s presence. He huffed and grumbled each time they left the house, complaining that he didn’t think it was totally necessary. Deep down, he knew it was. He knew that in reality Harry was probably the only thing that was standing between him and his stalker. He just didn’t want to be one of _those_ people; the kind of star that needed a permanent security guard holding his hand.

Harry gritted his teeth and persevered. He couldn’t quite understand why Louis was being so stubborn about his own safety but he knew that his job was to keep Louis safe whatever it took.

Now that Harry was settled in his post, he felt much more comfortable telling Louis exactly what he thought. He wasn’t afraid to make suggestions about what they should or shouldn’t be doing if it meant that Louis was more protected. Unfortunately, Louis wasn’t always willing to listen to Harry’s plans which had led to several heated moments between the two of them. Each time that Louis erupted when Harry suggested that they changed his arrangements, Harry just rolled his eyes in annoyance which only served to make Louis more irate. Harry had always argued his point, never backing down from Louis’ pretentious attitude and whinging, knowing that he was right. It was obvious that Louis wasn’t used to people actually disagreeing with him and he clearly didn’t like it. He lost his cool several times, telling Harry to stick his ideas up his arse before storming away. It wouldn’t be long before Zayn would appear telling Harry that they would be following his advice and they would be leaving in a few minutes. It was the same every time. Harry knew that Zayn managed to talk Louis round each time, making him see sense. He just wondered why it was so difficult for Louis to take the advice from him.

***

It was far too early when Louis woke up. He knew he wasn’t ready to wake up naturally; something had disturbed his sleep. For a horrible moment he feared that something was wrong. What if someone had managed to sneak into the grounds even with all the added security that Harry had put in place? Harry seemed so confident in the protective measures that he had added though and Louis felt slightly reassured. As he sat up in his bed wondering what had disturbed him he heard a splash from outside his window. Scrunching his face in confusion and rubbing his hands across his eyes tiredly he kicked the bedding away from his legs and slid out of his bed. He walked across his room slowly before standing beside the window.

The early morning sunshine glinted off the pool brightly but the water wasn’t still. Ripples flickered across the surface and as Louis leant forward a little to try to get a closer look he realised that there was a figure gliding through the water. He narrowed his eyes slightly as a head of messy hair broke the surface of the water at the far end of the pool. It was Harry. His body twisted around and strong legs pushed away from the wall as he set off on another length of the pool. He moved so fluidly that Louis found himself completely transfixed. He realised that it must have been the splash of Harry diving into the water that had woken him. The glass door that opened out onto his balcony had been left slightly ajar last night so the sounds from outside had obviously filtered in to his sleeping mind.

Louis was tempted to push the balcony door open further so he could get a clearer view of the swimmer but he didn’t dare. Harry obviously wasn’t expecting to have an audience and Louis didn’t want to get caught staring.

After what seemed like only a few minutes, Harry came to rest at the deep end of the pool. He tilted his head back into the water before running his hand through his hair to pull it away from his face. As Louis continued to stare, Harry reached up placing his hands on the edge of the pool before pulling himself up with strong arms. A tiny gasp slipped passed Louis’ lips and his eyes widened as he watched the muscles in Harry’s arms and back ripple beneath his skin. Once he was out of the water he stretched before reaching for his towel that had been thrown across one of the loungers beside the pool. He rubbed it across his hair and upper body briefly before heading towards the pool-house and disappearing from Louis’ view.

Louis remained where he was for a few moments. His mouth had gone very dry and his boxers suddenly felt rather constricting. He ran his fingers through his own messy hair before turning away from the window and heading back to his bed. What the hell was he doing? Why had he been so entranced by Harry’s semi-naked form? Well he knew why, but he knew that it was most definitely not a good thing. As he lay back in his bed he tried to wipe the images of Harry from his mind. He couldn’t afford to go down that route. Especially seeing as he didn’t even like Harry all that much.

 

A few hours later Louis had gone downstairs to have breakfast. He hadn’t managed to get back to sleep after witnessing Harry’s early morning swim so had eventually given up on the idea. As he sat at the breakfast bar sipping on a cup of tea, Harry walked in through the side door of the kitchen. Louis spluttered the mouthful of tea he had just taken back into his mug and Harry looked at him with a confused raised eyebrow.

“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No, it’s alright,” Louis said as he felt his cheeks heat a little in embarrassment. “Do you want a cup?”

Harry looked a little surprised at Louis’ friendliness but accepted his offer.

Louis was just relieved to have an excuse to get up and turn his back on Harry for a few minutes while the blush faded from his cheeks. For some reason he felt completely flustered seeing Harry this morning. He knew it was because now he knew what was beneath the well-fitting suit. There was a lot more to Harry than what met the eye.

“There you go,” he said as he set the mug down before Harry.

“Thanks,” Harry smiled brightly at him. “So, you’re up early this morning.”

Louis’ eyes widened slightly at the comment before he managed to reply. “Yeah, I just couldn’t sleep.”

Harry nodded slightly as he took a sip from his tea. “I can’t stand staying in bed late. I prefer to get up and get going.”

Louis smiled knowingly. “So what time do you get up then?”

Harry shrugged slightly. “Just whenever I wake up. It’s usually about six-ish.”

Louis pulled a disgusted face and Harry actually laughed. “It’s not so bad once you’re used to it. I like to go for a run or a swim first thing. It’s a great way to start the day.”

“Yeah, it is,” Louis muttered into his mug as yet again he pictured Harry’s body.

“Sorry?” Harry asked.

“I’m sure it is,” Louis said, covering his tracks. “I’ll have to take your word for it.”

Harry nodded with a smile. “Maybe you could join me one morning.”

Louis looked a little stunned and he coughed nervously. “Yeah, maybe.”

They slipped into silence as Louis desperately tried to keep his mind off swimming around with semi-naked Harry in the pool. Fortunately for Louis, Zayn walked in after a few minutes and interrupted his thoughts. Zayn raised his eyebrows in shock as he looked between the two men sitting in the kitchen. It was a complete surprise to find the two of them there together apparently getting along quite well.

***

A few days after the swimming pool incident, Louis decided that he fancied an evening out. Harry was well aware that an ‘evening out’ meant a night of drinking and clubbing. It was a difficult scenario for Harry to perform his duties, but his job required him to accompany Louis wherever he wanted to go and that included sticking with him as he staggered about drunkenly as the night progressed.

Harry waited patiently with Louis’ driver beside the car on the driveway outside the house. It wasn’t his place to try to hurry Louis up. Even after only a few weeks, Harry was fully aware that Louis took his time to get ready to go out. If he didn’t have a scheduled time to arrive somewhere, he usually wasn’t in any rush and Harry was already used to waiting for Louis’ appearance.

Eventually, Louis flung the front door of the house open and announced that he was ready to go. He had already been drinking since earlier in the evening when Niall had arrived and seemed in high spirits. Niall pulled the door closed behind them as they wandered towards the car and clambered in. Harry kept his face completely blank as he watched the two of them settle down on the back seat but he rolled his eyes as he turned his back to slide into the front seat beside Louis’ driver. Tonight was going to be a long night, he could just tell.

A few hours after they had been dropped off outside an exclusive club, Harry still wore a blank expression on his face. He wasn’t out to enjoy himself and he wouldn’t have chosen a place like this if he was looking for a good time. He much preferred his usual bar and a few beers with his friends over a packed nightclub with music thumping so loud you could hardly hear yourself think.

Louis and Niall on the other hand were having a fantastic time. They seemed to be drinking their way through every cocktail on offer, mixing in shots of tequila between every two or three drinks. Harry had wrinkled his nose in disgust at the first shot they had thrown back knowing that the pair of them would be suffering horrific hangovers the following morning. Louis had caught sight of that fleeting look on Harry’s otherwise stoic face and complained about his ‘constant miserable’ presence to a giggling Niall.

Louis and Niall had headed towards the dance floor several times, so drunk that they really didn’t care if they looked ridiculous. Of course Harry followed them closely each time; standing on the edge of the dance floor, prepared for any unusual activity. A couple of times someone bumped into Louis as they danced and Harry tensed. Each time Louis immediately shot him a ‘ _don’t you dare make a scene_ ’ look before continuing to dance.

As they sat back down and the drinking continued, Niall cast a glance over his shoulder at Harry who was busy scanning the constantly shifting crowd before he leant over to shout into Louis’ ear. “What do you say to trying to lose Sergeant Serious over there?”

Louis smiled mischievously and raised his eyebrow. “What do you have in mind?” he asked enthusiastically.

Moments later Niall stood up from his seat and made his way towards the men’s room. Harry watched him go before glancing back at Louis who was draining the remaining contents of his drink. A minute later Louis followed Niall’s lead and made his way towards the bathroom. Harry was a step behind Louis the whole way until they walked through the door and Louis turned around scowling at him.

“I’m going for a piss!” he shouted a little too loudly, forgetting that the music was now slightly dulled. “I’m pretty sure I can do that without you standing behind me!”

Harry sucked in a deep breath and smiled sarcastically. Walking to the stalls he pushed each door open and checked them all. There was no-one else in there, not even Niall. Harry assumed that Louis’ friend had already exited the bathroom and was probably outside ordering more drinks. He turned around to look at Louis who was tapping his fingers against the sink impatiently. “I’ll be waiting right outside,” he said as he pulled the door open. Loud music flooded into the area and Louis shouted a sarcastic ‘thanks’ as the door swung shut behind Harry.

As soon as Harry was gone, Louis ran to the furthest stall along the row. He quickly locked the door behind him and climbed onto the toilet seat. Pushing the window open he leant out and saw Niall smiling up at him brightly from the alleyway at the back of the club. Louis sniggered before hoisting himself up and clambering out the window. He dropped down into the alleyway beside his friend and burst into hysterical laughter. The two of them took a moment to compose themselves enough to be able to exit the alley and wander away from the club.

Harry only waited a few moments outside the men’s room before he couldn’t take it anymore. He wasn’t comfortable having his client out of his line of sight and something else was bothering him. There was no sign of Niall in the club. Harry had cast a quick glance across the sea of faces but Niall was nowhere in sight. He pushed the door open and entered the bathroom quickly. Louis wasn’t there but the door to one of the stalls was closed.

“Louis?” he called as he walked towards the stall. He wondered if the actor had suddenly felt the urge to vomit, which wouldn’t be so unbelievable considering the amount of alcohol he had consumed. He called again but got no response. For a moment he feared that Louis may have passed out so he slipped into the neighbouring stall and climbed up onto the toilet to peer over. Louis wasn’t there but the small window behind the toilet was wide open and Harry cursed loudly in anger. “That fucking idiot,” he growled to himself as he jumped off the toilet and ran out of the bathroom. He ran through the club not even noticing the angry shouts that followed him as he shoved people out of the way. He burst out onto the street and looked in both directions. He had no way of knowing which way Louis and Niall would have gone. His adrenaline was coursing through his whole body. He had to find them quickly; Louis’ life might depend upon it.     

***

Louis and Niall had laughed giddily all the way to another club further down the street. It wasn’t such an exclusive establishment but in their current state they didn’t really care. They were just out to have a good time and as soon as they got inside they headed straight for the bar to order more drinks.

They had been in the club for mere minutes when someone recognised Louis. A young woman wandered up to him and began chatting to him. He spoke to her as politely as he could manage in his current state before she wandered away, got a pen from the guy behind the bar and asked Louis to sign a scrap of paper she produced from her purse.

Before Louis and Niall knew what had happened, a crowd had developed. There were people pushing and shoving, desperate to get closer to the mega-star. The whole situation was aggravated by the fact that most of the people had been drinking. Louis wasn’t happy. He didn’t like the way the crowd was crushing around them and he wanted to leave. He signalled to Niall and stood up from his seat but before they could head towards the exit, someone pushed from the back of the crowd causing several people to surge forwards and Louis was cut off from his friend. Niall tried to push through the excited fans but it was no use, he just got shoved further and further backwards as the group pressed forwards.

Louis staggered backwards as the crowd swelled. He was sobering up remarkably quickly now.

Suddenly an angry shout erupted from the group and a man punched another in the face. The two men became entangled in an alcohol-fuelled fight as the club security battled to get to them and eject them from the building. Things were getting out of control. As the crowd backed away from the brawling men, Louis stumbled over a stool behind him and found himself flat on the floor. He was sure he was going to be crushed.

As he struggled to get himself upright, he heard more angry voices and suddenly there was a gap in the crowd. Before Louis understood what had happened, Harry appeared in the gap. He looked furious but also completely determined. His eyes landed on Louis immediately and he grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him up from the floor.

“Are you hurt?” he shouted.

Louis’ eyes were wide but he shook his head and Harry wrapped his arm around his back and pulled him close. In that moment, Louis felt totally protected and he knew that he was going to be safe.

Harry pushed through the crowd, his arm still around Louis guiding him whilst keeping him slightly behind his own body. As they made their way through the unimpressed crowd, a tall man stepped in front of Harry. He was angry that Louis wasn’t hanging around to take pictures with them and he began hurling a string of insults in Louis’ direction. He took a step closer towards Louis and Harry reacted instantly. His face remained totally calm as he released Louis for just a moment. He reached up, grabbed the man behind his neck, pulled him down and punched him in the stomach. The man doubled over in pain as Harry instantly clamped his arm back around Louis and continued leading him away. The rest of the crowd seemed to fall away; they had witnessed what Harry had done and clearly felt intimidated by him. Louis didn’t look up; he didn’t want to make eye contact with anyone and he also didn’t want to see the anger on Harry’s face.

Before Louis even knew what had happened, he was outside the club being pushed into the backseat of the BMW that had dropped him off earlier that night. He had no idea how the car had ended up right outside the club they had gone to, but he was more than a little grateful to be able to climb into the back and be whisked away from trouble. Even as the car sped away with a squeal of tyres, Louis caught sight of people spilling out of the club trying to get one last look at him. He kept his head down, feeling totally embarrassed. He was sure that he was about to receive a stern telling-off from Harry and, if he was honest, he thought he probably deserved it.

After a minute or so, Louis suddenly jolted upright and stared at Harry. “Oh my God, where’s Niall?”

Harry turned to look at him slowly. “I don’t know where Niall is,” he replied. “My priority is to protect you. He’s not my responsibility.” With that, Harry turned away again and focused his attention on staring out of the window.

For a split second, Louis looked like he might retort angrily to Harry’s response, but he just bit his lip and swallowed any comment he might have made. He really didn’t have any right to start yelling at Harry. Instead, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and quickly called Niall. It was a very brief conversation, each of them confirming that the other was alright and promising to meet up the following day. Quietly, Louis returned his phone to his pocket and looked back down at his lap. Not only was he feeling like a naughty school boy, but he was also beginning to feel sick. He knew that he was going to be suffering a hangover from hell and he was pretty sure that he deserved it.

***

It was past lunchtime when Louis emerged from his bedroom. His head was pounding and he had spent a long time staring into the toilet in his en-suite bathroom. Moving around was horrendous, but he knew that he had to get coffee and he was sure that no-one, not even Zayn, would be rushing around for him after last night’s performance.

When they had returned to the house, Harry had guided Louis inside without saying much. He had deposited Louis in the living room before disappearing. Moments later, Zayn had come bursting in shouting at him about what an idiot he had been. Louis had squinted up at his manager and nodded his head slowly before jumping up from his seat and running for the nearest toilet to throw up into.

“This conversation will have to wait until you’ve sobered up,” Zayn had told him sternly after he had followed him.

Louis groaned as he rested his cheek against the toilet seat. He pushed himself up from the floor and staggered off to his bedroom.

Of course, Zayn had been in to Louis’ room several times during the night, and the morning, to check on him but he wasn’t about to show him any sympathy to his face.

Getting down the stairs and through the house was slow progress for Louis. He felt like he could hardly lift his feet to carry himself to his destination. When he eventually walked into the kitchen, he was relieved to find that there was no-one else around. If he was lucky he’d be able to make himself a cup of coffee and drag himself back to his room without running into Zayn or, even worse, Harry.

Unfortunately for Louis, it just wasn’t his day and before he’d even got the milk out of the refrigerator the door from the garden swung open.

“Morning, or is it afternoon?” Zayn remarked when he saw Louis standing in the kitchen.

Louis winced; he was sure that Zayn’s voice seemed louder than normal. He looked at his friend sheepishly but didn’t say anything. He just waited for the lecture that he knew was coming his way.

“So, were you planning to get yourself killed last night or just kidnapped?” Zayn asked sarcastically.

‘Here we go,’ Louis thought to himself as he slumped down onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar. “It wasn’t like that,” he said quietly. His voice was strained and gravelly and it felt like an enormous effort to speak at all.

“Oh,” Zayn said loudly. “That’s your explanation is it? What the hell were you thinking going off on your own like that?”

Louis sighed heavily and rubbed his aching head. “Obviously I _wasn’t_ thinking. I was wasted, so was Niall. We were just out for a good time. We didn’t plan to get into trouble.”

“Well you certainly did a good job of getting into a complete mess. God only knows what would have happened if Harry hadn’t found you,” Zayn continued. Louis couldn’t help but think that he sounded like a mother reprimanding her child but now wasn’t the time to make comments like that.

“You do realise that this will be all over the press too,” Zayn added.

Louis sighed again and looked down at the breakfast bar. Sometimes he just wished he could be a normal guy that could go out and get completely hammered with his friends knowing that all he had to worry about would be feeling shitty the next day. In his world, the hangover didn’t just involve a headache and vomiting. Zayn looked at the top of his friend’s bowed head and sighed deeply. He understood Louis’ feelings and felt sorry for him even after what had happened.

“I’m only freaking out so much because I can hardly bear to think about what could have happened. It’s only because I care, you know.”

Louis looked up and smiled sadly. “I know,” he replied quietly.

“I guess it’s a good job we hired Harry. I don’t know how you managed to get away from him but I don’t think he’ll be letting you out of his sight from now on,” Zayn told him.

Hearing Zayn’s words made Louis feel even worse. It wasn’t that he was bothered about Harry keeping an even closer eye on him from now on, it was that he felt oddly guilty about causing Harry so much trouble. “Where is he?” he asked, feeling uneasy.

“Harry? He’s in the pool-house. I’ve told him to take the evening off tonight seeing as you obviously won’t be going anywhere for the rest of the day or tonight,” Zayn answered.

Louis just nodded. The previous night’s events were catching up with him again and he wanted to get back to his bed.

“You should go and speak to him,” Zayn said, interrupting Louis’ thoughts. “He was seriously pissed off last night and I can’t blame him. You owe him an explanation.”

Louis winced at the suggestion. He really didn’t feel like he was even up to walking across the lawn to the pool-house, let alone trying to talk to Harry about what had happened. “Can it wait until tomorrow?” he asked, knowing he sounded pathetic and half-expecting Zayn to tell him to just get on with it. “I feel like shit and before you say it I know I deserve to, but I really don’t feel up to talking to him right now. I’m not sure if puking in front of him will send the right message.”

Zayn rolled his eyes, wondering how Louis could manage to be such a smart-ass even with a horrific hangover. “Fine, it can wait ‘til tomorrow. You’d better go back to bed, I don’t want you puking near me either. I saw enough of that last night.”

Louis smiled sarcastically but didn’t have the energy to retort. Instead, he dragged himself through the house and back to his bed.

Before his eyes fell shut, he tried to think of what he might say to Harry tomorrow. As proud as he was, and as hard as he knew it would be, he decided that ‘sorry’ would probably be a good place to start. 


	4. Forever Yours - Chapter 4

“I swear to God, I’m going to kill him myself!”

Liam laughed loudly and shook his head at Harry’s exclamation. “No you won’t. That would hardly be good for business would it?” he joked.

“I’m glad you think it’s so fucking funny,” Harry scowled as he took a long drink from his bottle of beer. “I don’t know what I was thinking ever accepting this job.”

“I told you it was a bad idea. I told you that you’d hate it but you never listen to me do you?” Liam reminded him.

It was unusual for Harry and Liam to actually discuss work. It was a topic of conversation that more often than not resulted in them getting pissed off at one another. They were both so competitive and so stubborn that work related issues seemed to change them from best friends to enemies. But Liam had noticed the dark look in Harry’s eyes as soon as his friend had entered the bar and had known that something was seriously irritating him. Knowing Harry as well as he did, he had correctly guessed that it was work related, and even though he knew it was dangerous territory he had broached the topic and asked Harry what was going on. Surprisingly enough, Harry had launched into a tirade about the ‘idiotic, self-righteous dickhead with a death-wish’ that he was trying to protect. At first Liam had kept a serious expression on his face, trying his best to improve Harry’s mood with what he thought were helpful comments, but after a while he had laughed at his friend’s continuing rant and told him to just relax. That didn’t go down well and just seemed to spur Harry on to tell Liam about how he’d never be able to relax while he worked with such a stupid person who clearly didn’t care if he lived or died.

“Just quit if it’s that bad,” Liam finally suggested.

Harry looked utterly appalled by the idea. “ _Quit_?” he repeated loudly. “No fucking way. I’m not letting _him_ push me out of a job. Besides he really does need seriously tight security.”

“I could always take over if it gets too much for you,” Liam offered with a smirk.

That was the line that he knew he shouldn’t cross. He knew that it was comments like that which had caused blazing arguments between himself and his best friend many times in the past. But sometimes he just couldn’t resist the temptation to wind Harry up.

Harry’s nostrils flared as he breathed in deeply and narrowed his eyes at his friend. He seemed to be grinding his teeth for a moment as he stared at Liam. “Thanks for the offer,” he eventually ground out. “But I’m sure I’ll cope.”

For once, Harry hadn’t bitten back at him and told him where to go and Liam was actually grateful. He didn’t _really_ want to ruin their evening seeing as it was the first time that they had been able to meet up for weeks.

Liam quickly shifted the conversation away from work and onto other more easy-going topics and Harry’s stresses seemed to fall away, at least for a little while.

***

When Louis woke up the next morning he felt a hundred times better than he had the previous day. The pounding in his head and the nauseous feeling had departed; his hangover was gone. He actually felt remarkably carefree and might have forgotten all about the problems of the other night if he hadn’t remembered that he had to go and speak to Harry. He knew he might as well get it over with seeing as Zayn would just pester him about it until it was done so he decided to head straight out to see Harry after he had showered and got ready for the day.

As Louis approached the pool-house he could hear the muted sounds of loud music coming from inside. He knocked on the glass of the door and waited for some response but there was no sign of Harry so Louis pushed the door open and entered. He wondered if he should call out but for some reason he didn’t. Following the sound of the music he walked through the pool-house until he made his way to the area at the back of the building.

It was no wonder that Harry hadn’t heard him knocking. The music was much louder now that Louis was inside and he was glad that his headache had cleared up. Hanging from the centre of the room was a large punching bag and Harry was there beside it with his back to where Louis was standing. The blows that Harry aimed at the bag rained down hard and fast, leaving Louis exhausted from just watching. He couldn’t help but marvel at Harry’s physique. Of course he had already practically drooled at the sight of Harry as he swam in the pool and now he was getting a close-up display. Harry was wearing a loose fitting t-shirt and long shorts and each time he threw a punch Louis watched in awe as his entire body seemed to flow with the movement. He suddenly felt very grateful for having Harry on his side and his initial misgivings about how Harry could possibly be equipped to act as his bodyguard seemed ridiculous now. 

He would have been content to watch this display for the rest of the morning but Harry suddenly shifted position and kicked his leg up swiftly in a martial arts style action hitting the bag with his full force. With perfect timing the song seemed to come to an end just as Harry straightened and turned around to face Louis.

“If you want to go out, can you give me chance to get tidied up?” he asked easily as he looked at Louis.

Louis’ mouth flapped open a couple of times at the sight of Harry covered in sweat with his hair pulled away from his face by a headband. He had also thought that Harry would be shocked to see him there but it seemed that he had known he was there all along. “How…how did you know I was here?” he couldn’t help but ask in his surprise.

“I felt the breeze when you came through the door,” he said simply. “And then I could see your reflection in the window,” he nodded his head in the direction of the glass pane on the other side of the room.

Louis felt an embarrassed warmth tinge his cheeks as he realised that Harry had known he was there staring the whole time. He coughed and fiddled with the bottom of his shirt for a moment before he looked up at Harry again. “I didn’t come over here because I want to go out,” he said eventually.

Harry’s eyebrow lifted in curiosity but he didn’t speak.

“I came over here because…” Louis trailed off as he took a deep breath. “I came over here because I wanted to apologise for what happened the other night.”

For the first time since Louis had known him, he saw a look of surprise on Harry’s face. He was actually quite pleased to have caught Harry off guard; he wanted to show him that there was more to him than just some spoilt actor.

“I want to apologise for causing so much trouble. It was stupid of me to run off like I did and I just want you to know that it won’t happen again.”

Harry blinked rapidly a few times. It was almost like he was trying to decide whether this was really happening. “Well,” he said after a moment, “I really appreciate that.”

Louis smiled slightly. “Thanks for helping me out,” he added.

“Sure. It’s my job,” Harry told him.

“Yeah, well I’m glad that you’re around,” Louis said and then he felt the warmth in his cheeks again. He looked down at his feet, “I’d better leave you to it.”          

“Thanks for coming over here. I’m sure it can’t have been easy,” Harry said as Louis turned to leave.

Casting a quick glance back at his bodyguard, Louis nodded and hummed in agreement. Harry nodded at him before Louis walked away, leaving Harry feeling totally bewildered by his behaviour.

***

Things were quiet for a few days. Louis carried on with his life as normal, although he seemed to have taken on some of Harry’s advice. Harry had been very insistent that Louis should break away from his routines and change his schedules as his stalker was probably well aware of every move that he made. So without complaining (too much) Louis agreed to switch his plans around. Harry was pleasantly surprised by Louis’ change in attitude although he didn’t voice his thoughts about it. He didn’t want anything to send Louis back to being awkward again. 

Unfortunately, Louis’ problem didn’t disappear. A letter from his stalker arrived a few days after his eventful night out. A shudder of terror passed through Louis as he read the poisonous words scrawled across the page. It seemed that Louis’ stalker knew all about his night out with Niall. From what he had written it was pretty obvious that he had been out himself that night, watching Louis’ every move from a distance. He was clearly angry that Louis had been snatched away from his view by Harry. His words ranted on about why there was a new person permanently beside Louis and it almost sounded like he thought he should have been consulted about the new addition to security.

Harry’s face remained blank as he read the letter. Inside he was struggling to control his anger and annoyance that the stalker had managed to get so close to his client but he didn’t want Louis to see how he truly felt. There was only one thing that made him feel slightly better and that was the fact that the stalker obviously knew about him and, from what he had written, he obviously knew that Harry wasn’t someone to be taken lightly.

***

Despite Louis’ troubles he still had a job to do. Offers of movie roles arrived constantly. Being such an in-demand actor meant that Louis often cast his eyes over the first two pages of a script before throwing it away and telling Zayn that he wasn’t interested. He didn’t need to accept every job that came his way; he could afford to be picky. Every so often something good would come along though and he would spend more time over reading it. It was one of these scripts that caught Louis’ eye and meant that he was signed up to take on a new role.

Things suddenly became very busy for Louis and, therefore, everyone else in his entourage. Of course Harry was constantly nearby but he often did a lot of standing around watching as Louis was directed or prepared for a scene. Harry never complained about the situation. If anything he was actually quite pleased to have Louis so busy – it meant that he didn’t have time to get into too much trouble.

On one of Louis’ days off Harry happened to walk past the living room of the house. He glanced into the room as he passed then stopped in his tracks as he tried to understand what he had just seen. Actually walking backwards towards the open doors into the living room he shook his head thinking that he was imagining things. There was Louis, standing in the middle of the room pointing a gun at the wall. Shaking his head didn’t work. When he looked into the room again, Louis was still standing there with the gun.

Harry stepped into the room and cleared his throat to alert Louis to his presence. Louis turned around quickly but thankfully didn’t point the gun at Harry.

“Um, what are you doing Louis?” Harry asked as he eyed the actor suspiciously.

Louis rolled his eyes and waved the gun at Harry. “You mean this? You’ll think it’s ridiculous.”

Harry was still watching Louis with concern. He was beginning to wonder if Louis was planning to sack him and take care of his own security. “No really, what are you doing?” he asked again.

Louis sighed and shook his head. “The director of my movie wants me to practise holding a gun so he gave me this one from wardrobe to bring home and use.”

‘It’s a fake gun,’ Harry thought to himself in relief, ‘Thank God!’

“Some ‘expert’ gave me a few tips but I’m kind of making it up as I go along,” Louis admitted. “I feel like a total loser.”

Harry laughed slightly, feeling a little sorry for Louis. “I could help you out,” he offered.

Louis looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Really? You would do that?” he asked in surprise.  

There was an amused look on Harry’s face as he replied, “Of course. I’m not busy and I guess you could say that I have some experience in that area.”

Louis seemed to be debating whether to accept Harry’s offer for a few moments before he smiled and nodded in agreement. “I really could use some pointers,” he confessed.

“Okay,” Harry said as he stepped further into the living room. “Have you ever fired a gun before?”

“Um, does my dad’s air rifle count when I was a teenager?” Louis asked, although he was pretty sure that he already knew the answer.

Again Harry looked amused, “Not really I’m afraid. So I take it you’ve never actually held a real gun before then?”

Feeling a little self-conscious in the face of Harry’s experience, Louis shook his head. “No never.”

“Okay then,” Harry said, “We need to start at the basics then. You have to be standing in the correct way.” He made his way towards Louis and stood in front of him. He took the prop gun from his hand and placed it on the arm of the couch before directing Louis about his stance. After a few minutes he picked up the ‘gun’, inspected it with a critical eye, then handed it back to the actor. Louis gripped the gun loosely as he stretched his arms out to point it at the wall.

With a tiny shake of his head Harry reached out and took Louis’ hand in his own. “You need to tighten your grip. There shouldn’t be any space between your hand and the grip. You shouldn’t put your finger inside the trigger guard until you’re ready to fire.”

Louis listened carefully and followed each of Harry’s instructions diligently. Harry was obviously quite enjoying showing him what to do and was clearly taking the lesson very seriously. Louis wondered if he had remembered that he wouldn’t actually be shooting at anything for real. “Don’t force your dominant arm to be so straight, you need to have some flexibility. If you really fired it you’d need to be prepared for the recoil so your body needs to be able to react.” He gently manoeuvred Louis’ right arm so it had the smallest bend at the elbow.

Louis allowed himself to be positioned and instructed. He was suddenly very aware of how close Harry was standing to him and he was trying hard to concentrate on what he was being told and not stare too much at his bodyguard. Unfortunately he was struggling. He couldn’t help but let his eyes wander across Harry’s face and down to his chest before he snapped them back up to try to focus on what was being said.

“Do you feel a bit more like you know what you’re doing now?” Harry asked as he released Louis’ arm and took a step backwards.

Louis nodded immediately. “Yeah I feel much better about it – thank you. I’m still not sure that I can pull off some betrayed guy seeking to avenge his murdered family but I’ll give it my best shot. No pun intended.”

Harry frowned at Louis’ words. This wasn’t what he expected from such a famous, sought-after actor. He could hardly believe that Louis doubted himself, let alone felt able to confide those doubts to him.

“You’ll be great,” Harry told him sincerely. “I’ve seen you on the set; you’re really good at what you do. Very believable.”

A tinge of pink appeared on Louis’ cheeks at Harry’s words. He was used to hearing how ‘wonderful’ he was but somehow hearing something genuinely supportive from Harry seemed to mean more to him. “Thanks,” he muttered as he placed the gun down on the coffee table. “I really appreciate the lesson. Thanks for taking the time to show me what to do.” He was a little sad that the time they had spent together was ending.

It was almost as though Harry picked up on how Louis was feeling. There was an almost mischievous glint in his eye as he suggested, “I could always give you a lesson about how to _actually_ fire a gun.”

Louis looked at him questioningly. “What do you mean?”

“Well, if you want to look like you really know what you’re doing you should probably fire a real gun. I’ll give you a lesson on that if you like.”

The look on Louis’ face showed that he was more than a little bit interested in the idea. He quickly accepted Harry’s offer feeling a thrill of excitement pass through his entire body.

 

Half an hour later, Harry and Louis were walking through Louis’ massive expanse of garden. The house was quite a way behind them now but Harry had still warned Zayn about what they were planning to do so that Louis’ manager didn’t think that they were under attack. Eventually, Harry came to a stop and decided that he was happy with their location. He had been carrying a large board that he secured to a tree before returning to a rather enthusiastic Louis. Next he rooted around in the bag that had been slung over his shoulder and produced a pair of plastic-covered earmuffs and goggles and held them out to Louis.

Louis looked like he was about to protest but Harry simply raised his eyebrows. “No safety gear, no shooting.”

Louis didn’t argue; he just took the items from Harry and held onto them as he waited for more instructions. He was surprising even himself at how well he was coping with Harry telling him what to do.

Harry leant down to the bag again and pulled out a case. This time he didn’t hand it to Louis. He lifted the lid and produced a pistol which he handled with such skill and care.

“Always assume that a weapon is loaded. Point it downrange, making sure that it’s safe of course, and keep your finger outside the trigger guard,” he said firmly.

Louis felt a kind of nervous excitement at Harry’s words. This wasn’t ‘playing’ with a toy gun anymore, this was a real gun that could be used to do serious damage. He gulped a little anxiously.

Without speaking again Harry placed the gun back in its case. For a horrible moment Louis thought that the lesson was over but then Harry looked at him and nodded. “Your turn,” he said. “If you can do this bit right we’ll move on.”

It was like a test Louis realised. He had to prove to Harry that he could follow his instructions and be safe before Harry would allow him to go any further. Louis ran through what Harry had said and done once before he removed the gun from its case. Harry looked him over as he stood with the gun pointing at the target on the tree. Again Louis felt nervousness wash over him but this time he wondered if it was partly because of how closely Harry was scrutinising him. Harry finished his appraisal and nodded again. “Good,” he smiled. “Moving on.”

They went over Louis’ firing stance and how to align his sight. Before long, Louis was standing holding the gun ready to fire at his target. Harry was standing close beside him wearing his own protective gear.

Louis couldn’t remember the last time he had been so focused. He was concentrating so hard on running through what Harry had told him.

“When you have your aim, gradually squeeze the trigger with constant pressure. If you jerk it, your aim will be thrown off. Once you begin pulling the trigger, keep pulling it at a constant rate. I guarantee you’ll be surprised when the gun goes off. Try to time your firing with your breathing. Take a deep breath, exhale half a breath and fire a round.”

Louis did exactly as Harry had told him. He took a deep breath, he exhaled and before he really knew what he’d done he felt the jolt of the gun firing. Harry was right – he was surprised. “Jesus Christ!” he shouted as he stared at the target. He could hear Harry’s muted voice commenting on his first attempt, saying that it wasn’t bad, and he felt pretty damn good about it.

Harry instructed him to retake aim and continue and Louis didn’t hesitate. He was enjoying himself far too much to stop now.

After firing numerous rounds, Louis’ fun had to come to an end. Harry signaled that it was time to wrap it up and Louis handed him the gun. He was absolutely buzzing as he watched Harry unload the weapon and then check it. When he finally removed his goggles and earmuffs he felt a little weird – everything was suddenly very loud around him.

When Harry had packed the gun away he stood up to face Louis. “Did you enjoy that?” he asked. He already knew the answer by the beaming smile on Louis’ face. It gave him an oddly warm feeling to know that he had brought such happiness to Louis by sharing something that he enjoyed so much with him.

“It was awesome!” Louis told him brightly. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” Harry replied.

Louis was totally hyperactive as Harry gathered up all of his equipment and they began walking back towards the house.

“You’ll need to wash your hands and face when you get inside,” Harry told him when he managed to get a word in through all of Louis’ chattering. “You don’t want any residue left on your skin.”

Louis nodded in understanding. They walked on a short distance in comfortable silence before Louis suddenly said, “I really don’t know how to thank you for this afternoon.”

Harry smiled easily and shook his head. “There’s no need to thank me.”

“Yes there is,” Louis burst out. “You didn’t need to give up your afternoon off for me but you did anyway.”

Shrugging his shoulders slightly but still smiling Harry shook his head again. “It was nothing. Besides I’ve actually enjoyed myself.”

Louis smiled brightly. “Me too.” He fell silent as he chewed on his lower lip for a few seconds. He looked a little anxious as he drew in a deep breath and said, “How about I take you out for dinner? As a way of saying thanks.”

Harry’s eyes widened in surprise and Louis would have laughed at his expression if he hadn’t been so worried about the response he was going to receive. “There’s really no need,” Harry said after a moment of just staring at Louis in shock.

“You already said that,” Louis smiled cheekily, “But I want to.”

“I’m sure you don’t want to spend a night with me,” Harry replied. Then, much to Louis’ amusement, his eyes widened in embarrassment and he looked away from him.

Louis let out a soft laugh. “Please accept Harry. You don’t want me to beg do you?”

Harry’s eyes snapped back up to look at Louis. He didn’t know what to say and was pretty sure that if he opened his mouth whatever he said would come out sounding like some sort of innuendo. He took a moment, cleared his throat and finally said, “I’ll only accept if _I_ get to choose where we go.”

There was a triumphant smile on Louis’ face and his eyes seemed to light up upon hearing Harry’s words. “Of course you can choose. It’s your reward for putting up with me after all.” Louis was still smiling as he turned to continue walking towards the house. “Tomorrow night?” he called over his shoulder.

“Um…yeah, that’s fine,” Harry replied, once again caught off guard.

“It’s a date,” Louis grinned as he let himself into the house.

Harry hadn’t taken his eyes off Louis as he had disappeared into the house - for some reason he just couldn’t. He felt like he had suddenly seen a different side to Louis and he had to admit that he felt pretty curious about it.      


	5. Forever Yours - Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone reading this and a special thank you to anyone who has left kudos or a comment. I really appreciate it and I'm glad that you're enjoying the story. It inspires me to continue!

It seemed like Harry’s ‘date’ with Louis arrived rather suddenly. He had tried not to think about it too much during the day seeing as it seemed to cause a strangely nervous sensation to settle in his stomach. He wasn’t used to that feeling and he didn’t like it. It was a long time since anything or anyone had caused him to feel so unprepared and anxious. Not that he wasn’t looking forward to his evening out with Louis; far from it. He was actually hoping to get to know more about the actor who seemed to be revealing tiny parts of his true nature ever so slowly to Harry. It was just that odd little feeling in his gut when he thought about it. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what was causing it so he tried to forget about it altogether.

Hovering about near his car, agitatedly waiting for Louis, Harry wondered for the hundredth time if he looked alright. Then for the hundredth time he asked himself why he was worried. It wasn’t an _actual_ ‘date’ as Louis had jokingly called it. At least Harry thought it was a joke. He really didn’t want to get into an internal debate about how unprofessional it would be to actually be taking Louis on a real date. ‘It’s not a date,’ he told himself forcefully. ‘Why does it feel like one then?’ a little voice in his mind called back. Just as he feared the debate may have started, the front door of the house opened and Louis appeared, smiling brightly. All troublesome thoughts seemed to disappear from Harry’s mind and he found himself smiling in response. Louis looked great and he was clearly excited about his ‘date’ as he bounded down the steps eagerly. He came to a halt just in front of Harry. Still smiling he said, “I know what you’re thinking.”

Harry’s eyes widened a little. He really hoped that he didn’t know what he was thinking in that moment. The sight of Louis dressed up for an evening out with him and looking so genuinely happy was causing strange things to happen in Harry’s mind and he didn’t think that his thoughts were shareable. He gulped slightly as he struggled to find a reply.

Louis laughed lightly, “You’re thinking, ‘God he’s always late for everything.’ Well I’ll have you know that it’s known as being fashionably late and all the biggest stars are doing it.”

He was obviously taking the piss out of himself and Harry could hardly believe it. Was this really the same person that had seemed so uptight and pretentious? He hoped that this was a good start to the evening and he chuckled along with Louis’ comments. Knowing that they couldn’t stand outside the house talking all evening he reached forward and opened the passenger side door of his car.

In the process he had to lean close to Louis and he found himself breathing in deeply to inhale the scent of his hair products and aftershave. He had no idea that Louis was doing exactly the same thing. As he pulled the door open and gestured for Louis to climb in, the two of them seemed to stare at one another for a long moment before Harry cleared his throat and Louis slipped into the car. Harry closed the door behind him and made his way to the driver’s side. ‘It’s not a date, it’s not a date,’ he chanted to himself internally before breathing deeply and entering the car.

***

Harry had chosen the location of their ‘not-date’ as agreed. He led Louis to a small Thai restaurant. It was the kind of place that most people walked straight by as it was a tiny establishment which appeared to be dimly lit. Louis looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow as if asking ‘really?’ as the bodyguard held the door open for him. When they walked in Harry was greeted immediately like an old friend.

The owner of the restaurant shook his hand eagerly and welcomed him warmly. “No Mr Payne tonight?” he asked as he peered around Harry to look at Louis.

“No, not tonight,” Harry replied as he turned to introduce his guest. “This is Louis. I’m hoping you’ll impress him with your delicious menu.”

“Of course,” he replied smiling as he shook Louis’ hand. “You are very welcome. Please follow me to your table.”

Once Harry and Louis were settled at their table and left alone Louis immediately asked, “So you come in here often do you?”

Harry shrugged slightly but smiled, “I like it here. The staff are really friendly and the food is great. And I thought it would be a good place for us to have an evening without too many people recognising you and spoiling our meal.”

Louis nodded in understanding, grateful that Harry had thought about something like that. He wasn’t quiet for long before he asked, “Who’s Mr Payne?”

There was a smile tugging at Harry’s lips as he replied, “You’re very nosey aren’t you?”

Louis looked stunned at Harry’s words, it was very rare for people to say things like that to him. Niall and Zayn were usually the only people who told him what they really thought. Trying to seem like he wasn’t all that interested even though he was desperate to know if Harry regularly came on dates here with his partner he replied casually, “No, I’m just making conversation. It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me.”

Harry laughed, “It’s not that much of a secret. ‘Mr Payne’ is Liam, my best friend. We often come down here when we’re both in the area.”

Louis made a small ‘oh’ sound while he tried to hide the pleased smile that was pulling at his mouth. “Well, what do you recommend then?” he asked as he glanced down at his menu.

 ***

Much later, several bowls of various Thai specialties were nearly empty on the table. Louis was pulling a rather displeased face and Harry was worried that he hadn’t enjoyed the meal. “Are you alright?” he asked in concern. “Was something wrong with the food?”

“No not at all,” Louis replied immediately. “That’s just it. It was all so good that I want to finish it but I just can’t. I’m so full.”

Harry chuckled in relief. “So would you come back again?”

A cheeky grin appeared on Louis’ face, “Is that an offer?”

It was amazing to Harry that in the space of a day Louis had managed to catch him off guard so many times. He wasn’t used to stumbling over his words or not having a clue what to say in response to someone. “Maybe,” he muttered as he took a long sip from his drink.

The conversation had mostly focused on Louis’ current schedule and what he thought of the people he worked with. Nothing too in-depth had been mentioned. They fell into an easy silence as their dishes were cleared away. Then Louis suddenly said, “Tell me something about yourself.”

Looking almost serious Harry replied, “What would you like to know?”

“Anything,” Louis said simply as he laced his fingers together and laid his hands on the table-top.

Harry contemplated the suggestion, his mind debating what he should tell Louis. It was difficult to know what to say seeing as he had been given such a wide scope. ‘Anything’ really didn’t help him decide on a subject for discussion. After thinking for a while he cleared his throat before saying, “Well, I have a sister.”

“Older or younger?” Louis immediately asked.

“Older by a few years,” Harry replied. “She’s in the police force.”

Louis’ eyebrows rose at that. He made a thoughtful sound before asking, “What does your dad do?”

For a moment Harry considered calling Louis ‘nosey’ again but for some reason he sensed that their conversation had changed direction. Louis seemed genuinely curious; all of the cheekiness from earlier on had disappeared.

“My dad’s retired,” Harry eventually replied. “He used to be in the police too.”

“Wow,” Louis said as he nodded, “A whole family of heroes then.”

Not sure whether Louis’ comment was sarcastic or genuine, Harry didn’t reply.

“I bet your mum has her hands full dealing with all of you when you’re together doesn’t she?” Louis asked with a smile.

Harry drew in a deep breath at Louis’ words. He glanced away from the man opposite him for a few moments as if thinking deeply before he replied. “I’m sure she did yeah. She died two years ago…cancer.”

The smile fell from Louis’ lips immediately; he looked mortified. “Oh Harry, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I never would have said anything…”

“It’s okay,” Harry cut him off before he could apologise anymore. “How could you have known? There’s no need to apologise. I miss her a lot, we all do, we were really close but I don’t mind talking about it.”

As Louis listened to Harry’s words intently he began chewing at his lower lip almost nervously. In that moment as Harry looked at Louis he saw him as a normal guy worried about whether he had offended or upset someone. He seemed so natural that Harry could have almost forgotten that he was out with the famous Hollywood superstar. The more Harry thought about it, the more he realised that there was actually a lot more to Louis than he had initially realised.

After a while he seemed to suddenly become aware that he had been staring at Louis for quite a long time. He cleared his throat and leant forward a little. “So, now you know a little bit more about me, why don’t you tell me something about you?”

Louis shifted his position and relaxed back into his seat. “What would you like to know?” he asked, copying Harry’s question from earlier in the conversation.

Harry picked up on it immediately and smiled easily. “Anything,” he answered, recalling Louis’ vague suggestion.

Louis rolled his eyes. “If you want to know _that_ I suggest searching for me on the internet. I’m sure you’d find out loads of fascinating ‘facts’ about me, including things that _I_ don’t even know about myself.”

“I’d rather _you_ told me something about yourself. Something true, maybe something that not all of your fans _think_ they know,” Harry replied.

It was Louis’ turn to look thoughtful. He didn’t say anything for a while as he decided what to tell Harry. “Well seeing as you told me about your family I guess I should start there.”

Harry didn’t speak, he just nodded his encouragement. “I have four younger sisters. They live fairly close-by. They’re great but I don’t see them as much as I should. I’m not the greatest brother in the world.” Louis trailed off and seemed lost in thought.

This was obviously a sensitive subject for Louis and Harry understood. Families were complicated things. He was about to speak to break the silence but Louis suddenly focused on him again and continued with what he was saying. “I guess we’ve just drifted apart over the years…well since my parents died I suppose.”

Harry was startled by the comment. He had no idea that Louis had lost both of his parents. It had never been mentioned and he had never asked. He thought about the pain he had felt at losing his own mother; he couldn’t imagine losing his dad as well. “I didn’t realise Louis. I’m sorry.”

Louis shrugged slightly but the carefree response didn’t match the look in his eyes. “It was a long time ago – when I was sixteen. They were killed in a car accident.”

Such a simple explanation didn’t seem to do the reality of the situation any justice. Harry didn’t know what to say. It may have happened several years ago and Louis was obviously good at pretending he was over it, but Harry could see beyond that and he didn’t think he could find the right words to comfort Louis in any way.

Fortunately, Louis didn’t seem to be waiting for any consoling words from Harry and he continued talking. “I guess something like that has the power to bring families closer together or drive a wedge between them. In our case it’s certainly pushed us apart. I don’t even know why. It’s not like we blame each other for it; it wasn’t our fault. I think we just find it hard to be around one another. My sisters are so much like my mum that sometimes, just for a minute, I think she’s still there, you know? I was kind of selfish and moved away as soon as I got the chance.” He took a deep breath as he thought about what he had just said. “We’re not exactly a model family,” he concluded.

Harry blinked a few times and wondered if there was anything else that Louis was going to reveal about himself.

Watching Harry closely, Louis chuckled dryly, “You look surprised. You wanted to know something ‘true’ that you wouldn’t find online so there you go. I probably shouldn’t have said so much though, I’m sure you’re not really all that interested in my family troubles.”

“No, no,” Harry immediately replied. “I am interested. I’m glad you told me. It’s good to find out more about you. I am sorry to hear about your family though. What happened to your parents – well that’s awful and I’m sorry for your loss.”

Louis nodded once in acceptance and then smiled slightly. “I hope I haven’t ruined our evening by depressing you.”

Harry smiled in response. “Of course not. I’ve really enjoyed myself tonight.”

The smile on Louis’ face widened and the lingering sadness in his eyes seemed to disappear. He felt like he had taken a huge step by opening up to Harry about his family. He wasn’t sure why but he felt like he could trust his bodyguard with such a private piece of information about his life. Louis had been let down and betrayed several times in the past and as a result he didn’t trust people easily. Something made him trust Harry though and that made him happier than he had been for quite a while.

After a lot more talking and asking questions about each other, Harry and Louis made their way home. Louis had insisted on paying for their meal when Harry had tried to pay half.

“This was my idea and my way of thanking you for helping me out remember,” he had said as he handed his money to their waiter.

“You really didn’t have to,” Harry frowned.

“So you keep saying but I wanted to,” Louis smiled. “And if you ever decide to audition for a movie role and you need some pointers you know I’ll be willing to help.”

Harry laughed, “As long as you’re not chasing after the same part right?”

“Of course,” Louis laughed brightly.

***

The journey back to the house seemed to fly by and Louis was actually disappointed when they passed through the gates and made their way up the driveway. He didn’t want their evening to come to an end.

When Harry parked the car outside the house Louis made a decision. His evening out with Harry had been one of the best he had had for a long time and he was in no hurry for it to be over. “You’re going to come in for a cup of tea aren’t you?” he asked casually as he stepped out of the car. Inside he didn’t feel all that relaxed. His heart was pounding in his chest. He knew he was taking a big risk by inviting Harry inside but he just didn’t want their evening to come to an end. Waiting for Harry to respond to his suggestion was torturous and he began to think that he was going to be rejected. He considered backing out of the offer but suddenly Harry smiled brightly and nodded his acceptance. Louis’ eyes lit up as he led Harry through the front door.

They made their way to the kitchen where Louis set about making two cups of tea. Every so often he glanced at Harry who was looking out the kitchen window across the garden. Each time he looked at his bodyguard he felt his stomach flip. It wasn’t an uncomfortable or horrible feeling, it was more a sensation of nervous excitement and happiness that brought a tiny smile to his face. He was so focused on Harry that he didn’t notice that he was spilling milk all over the counter until it was too late.

“Oh shit,” he muttered before turning to grab a cloth from beside the sink.

When he turned back round, Harry was suddenly standing very close behind him inspecting the puddle on the marble surface. His eyes locked with Louis’ as he smiled. “I think it’s a good thing we went out for a meal if this is the mess you make just making a cup of tea,” he laughed.

Louis narrowed his eyes playfully at him. “Cooking’s not exactly a strength of mine but it wasn’t my fault. You were distracting me.”

As soon as the words had left his mouth he wondered if he had made a huge mistake but Harry didn’t back away or even look flustered by the comment. Instead he slowly leant closer to Louis and gently took the cloth out of his hand. His fingers brushed against Louis’ lightly and something electric seemed to fizzle across the skin where they had touched. “I’ll clear this up,” he said quietly. “You put the milk away.” Louis blinked rapidly a few times. He suddenly felt rather warm and he couldn’t stop his eyes roaming over Harry’s face and upper body as they remained standing close together. Before he allowed himself to do something that he might regret he slipped away from Harry to grab the milk and take it back to the refrigerator. He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart while he was hidden by the refrigerator door before making his way back across the kitchen to collect his rather milky tea.

Louis led Harry into the living room, all the time berating himself for being an idiot. His mind was running through several fantasies that involved Harry but he kept trying to remind himself that he was being stupid. Harry wasn’t interested in him like that and certainly wouldn’t allow himself to get seduced by Louis. However much he tried to tell himself that though, there was a little voice in his mind that kept saying, ‘He’s been flirting with you. _Maybe_ he does like you like that. _Maybe_ you should find out for sure.’ Louis had to block that voice out; he didn’t want to look like a complete fool by throwing himself at Harry and ultimately being rejected. Sure Harry would be totally professional about it and probably never mention it again, but Louis would never get over the humiliation. He’d never be able to look his bodyguard in the eye again.

“You look deep in thought.”

Louis was startled from his musing by Harry’s voice cutting through the silence. In truth he was glad for the interruption. He had enjoyed the evening so far and didn’t want to ruin it now by thinking about something that he couldn’t have.

“I was just thinking about you actually,” Louis replied truthfully.

A look of surprised confusion appeared on Harry’s face. “What exactly were you thinking about?” he asked as he looked at Louis steadily.

Although Louis had admitted thinking about Harry he wasn’t about to confess exactly what he had been thinking about so he replied, “I’ve been thinking about your job.”

“Oh,” Harry nodded, but the confused look didn’t change and he looked like he was expecting something more.

Louis couldn’t help but think that the curious expression made him look even more gorgeous but he quickly tore his mind away from such thoughts. “I was just wondering why you enjoy being a bodyguard.”

Harry smiled widely at the comment. It was obvious that he had a real passion for his work and he enjoyed talking about it. “Well, I love the fact that it’s a challenge. It’s physically and mentally demanding. No two days are ever the same. You have to be prepared for anything and everything.”

Louis hummed lowly in understanding. “What’s the worst part then? And don’t say standing around watching me all day.”

Harry laughed lightly before looking serious. He thought about the question for a few moments. “I guess the worst part is getting hurt. If you get injured in some way you obviously have to put up with the pain but what’s worse is that it puts you out of action until you’re fully recovered and that sucks. There’s nothing worse than being laid-up with some injury when all you want is to be working.”

It was Louis’s turn to laugh softly. “You’re a workaholic you know that?”

Harry shrugged. “Maybe. I just love what I do.”

Louis stared thoughtfully at Harry for a long time. “What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?”

A frown appeared on Harry’s face as he obviously recalled something that had happened to him. He looked serious as he replied, “I got shot once.”

Without meaning to seem dramatic, Louis drew in a sharp breath at the thought of it. Having fired a gun only the day before he suddenly had a lot more respect for the weapon; he knew what damage could be caused by one. “Oh my God. What happened?” he asked in awe.

“It was a long time ago and I was fairly new to the job. I was working for someone in government. We were at a demonstration and some crazy guy pulled out a gun. It was too late for me to do anything to stop him so I blocked my client and took the bullet. It hit me in my left shoulder but I managed to shoot the fucker that hit me and disable him before I lost consciousness.”

Louis’ eyes were wide as he stared at Harry in shock. “Did it hurt?” he asked. His voice seemed strangely quiet.

Harry nodded immediately. “It hurt like hell. But I don’t remember much after I shot the guy. I was rushed to hospital and that’s where I woke up. My shoulder was messed up and I couldn’t work for months but I got back into it eventually.”

Harry seemed so blasé about the whole thing; like he wasn’t bothered by what had happened to him at all. He just seemed to accept it as part of his life and Louis found that incredibly hard to understand.

The silence that fell between the two men following Harry’s explanation seemed to stretch on for a long time as Louis considered what he had heard. The frown on his face showed the uncomfortable sense of confusion he felt about Harry’s words.

Harry had been watching Louis’ thoughtful face for a while, wondering what was running through his mind. Louis had been staring into space as he thought but suddenly he tilted his head and locked eyes with Harry. He seemed to be studying him carefully before he sighed heavily.

“I just don’t get it,” he finally said as he continued to stare at the other man.

“What don’t you get?” Harry asked.

“I just don’t understand how you can want to do this for a living. How can you be so calm about the fact that everyday you’re putting yourself at risk? Everyday there’s a chance you might get hurt.” Louis sounded almost distressed at the idea and Harry felt an unusual sense of warmth inside at the thought that he actually cared.

Although Harry took the dangers and consequences of his job in his stride he could understand why it would seem so bizarre to someone else. “I try not to spend too long thinking about that. I wouldn’t be able to do my job if I spent all my time worrying about the risks. I’ve been doing this for a while now and without wanting to sound cocky I think I’m pretty good at what I do. I’d like to think that I’m experienced enough now to hopefully know how to avoid getting seriously hurt.”

“But it’s still a possibility though isn’t it?” Louis asked immediately.

It was Harry’s turn to frown slightly at Louis’ question. “Yes,” he admitted slowly, “It is a possibility but, like I said, I do my best to avoid it.”

Louis shook his head a little and the frown was still in place. He suddenly seemed very agitated and he stood up from his position on the couch quickly. He grabbed his mug and muttered something about going to the kitchen before he left the room.

It took Harry a moment to process what had just happened, he couldn’t understand Louis’ strange reaction. He pushed himself out of his seat and followed Louis to the kitchen. When he walked in he saw Louis leaning back against the counter. Again he seemed lost in thought, chewing on his bottom lip, still frowning.

“Are you alright?” Harry asked quietly as he approached him.

Louis looked at him seriously. “I just…I just don’t understand why you would want to get hurt, or even killed, for someone you don’t even _like_.”

“It’s not that I _want_ to get hurt Louis,” Harry replied carefully. “I just have to accept that as part of my job.” He was beginning to understand why Louis was struggling to deal with the reality of his line of work. “And if you’re worried that I don’t like you, you shouldn’t. I _do_ like you.”

Louis blew out a harsh breath that was close to a bitter laugh. “You like me because I’m paying you.” He moved to try to walk away but Harry stopped him with a firm grip on his arm.

“That’s not true. Do you really think I would have spent the whole evening with you tonight if I didn’t like you?” he asked.

Louis looked down at the strong hand that was wrapped around his bicep. The pressure on his arm was just enough; not enough to hurt but firm enough to hold him in place. His eyes travelled back up to meet Harry’s. He wanted to speak, to challenge Harry in some way but he couldn’t find the right words.

“I like you Louis,” Harry said again as though he knew that Louis was struggling to believe him. “I will protect you and I will risk getting hurt for you.  I would die for you if it came to it and not just because you’re paying me.” He seemed to sense that Louis wasn’t going to try to move away from him anymore so he released his arm, letting his own hand fall to his side.

Louis swallowed thickly as he continued to look into Harry’s eyes. Any thoughts of disagreeing with Harry had been swept away as he listened to his words. He couldn’t speak; he didn’t know what he would say to follow such a declaration.

“It’s late,” Harry said softly. He was struggling to get a grip on his emotions. Hearing that Louis thought he didn’t like him seemed to motivate his mouth to spill out things that should have been kept in his head. It was all true though; he did like Louis and he would die for him if he had to. Even if Louis said he wouldn’t pay him anymore he knew that he wouldn’t be able to walk away. His feelings towards Louis seemed to have taken a u-turn so suddenly that he could hardly keep up. This had never happened to him before. He had always managed to keep emotions out of his professional life. He had never cared for any of his other clients the way he did about Louis.

Without saying a word, Louis brushed past him gently and Harry could do nothing else except follow him. When they reached the bottom of the stairs Louis paused and turned to him slowly. “One more question,” he said quietly.

When Harry nodded his agreement, Louis leant up ever so slightly, placing his hands on his bodyguard’s shoulders. He moved his mouth close to Harry’s ear and whispered, “What are you afraid of?”

Harry knew the answer immediately. He wasn’t afraid of heights or spiders or even getting hurt. He was afraid of not being able to protect Louis. He was well aware that if he let himself go and allowed himself to care he might not be able to carry out his duty to his full potential. Showing any emotion was a weakness and highly dangerous but for some reason, in that moment, he couldn’t seem to find it within himself to care. Ultimately he knew the real answer to the question. He was afraid of Louis and the way he made him feel.

As the warmth of Louis’ breath had ghosted across his ear, his eyes had fallen shut. For just a moment he could imagine that they were just two normal people and that was all it took for his resolve to break. Why should he deny himself what he wanted? He tried to convince himself that everything would be alright. It wouldn’t change his work; he could still protect Louis. Before he had chance to think about what he was doing and talk himself out of it, his hands were twisting in soft brown hair and his lips were crushing desperately against Louis’.

Louis returned the kiss with equal passion. He had been lusting after Harry for a long time but something had changed that desire over the last few days. It wasn’t that he was just attracted to Harry physically anymore; he felt like they shared some sort of connection now. He really liked Harry and it had been a long time since he had felt so comfortable with anyone. Hearing Harry’s words and understanding the meaning behind them had only solidified Louis’ feelings towards his bodyguard. His hands reached up to grip the soft material of Harry’s shirt as he placed his foot on the first step of the staircase. He tugged gently as he began to back up the stairs leading Harry along. Harry moved his hands away from Louis’ hair down his back to keep him steady as they moved slowly up the stairs. _‘Always taking care of me,’_ Louis thought as he smiled into the kiss.

After successfully negotiating the staircase, Louis hastily pushed the door of his bedroom open and pulled Harry inside. There was no break in their kissing as Louis continued to pull Harry into the room. Harry barely remembered to kick the door closed as he allowed himself to be drawn along. It seemed like he didn’t want the kiss to end; maybe if it did he’d have enough time to actually think about what he was doing and talk himself out of it. Any rational thoughts that might have crept into his mind were wiped away as he felt Louis’ fingers sliding underneath his jacket, across his shoulders and then pushing the material away. The jacket fell to the floor and Louis’ hands rested against Harry’s shoulders once more as he continued to kiss him.

Before things could go any further Louis paused, looking a little unsure. He wasn’t looking at Harry’s face, rather his eyes were locked on something just to the left of his chest. Harry followed his gaze although he already knew what had stopped Louis in his tracks. Resting snugly at Harry’s side was his gun, secured in his shoulder holster. It had obviously been there all night but Harry hadn’t removed his jacket and Louis hadn’t even been aware of the concealed weapon. Although Louis knew he shouldn’t have been surprised that Harry was armed, the appearance of the gun had caused him to cease his seduction. It was a reminder of the danger he was in every time he left his home and the real reason why Harry was there with him. Not only that, but Louis had no idea how to remove a gun holster seeing as he’d never undressed someone that carried a gun.

Harry seemed to have read his thoughts as he carefully unclipped the straps of the holster and slipped it off his shoulders. He walked around Louis and placed it on the nightstand before standing in front of him again. Louis was staring at the weapon that was now deposited beside the bed but before his thoughts could become too dark he felt a gentle hand beneath his chin. He allowed his face to be turned away from the weapon back towards Harry’s intense gaze. Swallowing thickly he felt his heart begin to race again as Harry leant down slightly to capture his lips. The gun was forgotten as Louis remembered why he had been so keen to have Harry in his bedroom.

The rest of their clothes seemed to fall away as no more obstacles were encountered and the need to see and feel and taste skin took over. Louis took a moment to admire Harry’s perfect form. He silently thanked God that he had been working out for his latest movie role. Not that he thought he could compete with Harry’s physique but he didn’t want to feel embarrassed by his body. He needn’t have worried. Harry seemed lost in his own admiration as his eyes wandered over Louis’ flesh.

Pushing Harry back against the bed, Louis straddled his hips and kissed him deeply again. He was amazed that he wasn’t the one on his back but Harry seemed to be full of surprises. Breaking away from his bodyguard’s lips, Louis kissed along his jaw-line and down his neck. Hearing a sharp intake of breath and a low moan from Harry, Louis knew that he was enjoying himself so he took his time to suck and nip at the smooth flesh. Gradually he moved further down, trailing his tongue across Harry’s collar bone before blowing gently on the wet skin. He smirked as he watched the goose bumps rise on Harry’s skin before he continued moving down his body.

Lifting his eyes to see the look on Harry’s face, Louis found himself growing even harder as he saw the lust in Harry’s green eyes. He moved a little further down Harry’s chest swiping his tongue across his nipple as he reached down to stroke the hard length between Harry’s legs. He was delighted by the moan that escaped Harry’s lips and he repeated the movement. Harry’s hips lifted from the bed to meet the pressure as Louis moved his fist firmly a few more times.

Again Louis paused his actions to look up at Harry’s face. This time his eyes were closed, his lips parted slightly as he drew in deep breaths. Moving down Harry’s body, leaving a trail of kisses as he went, he settled himself between Harry’s legs. Harry’s eyes were open now as he watched Louis’ movements in anticipation. With one last confident look up at his bodyguard, Louis slid his tongue along the underside of Harry’s dick. The reaction from Harry was exactly what Louis had hoped for; he moaned lowly and reached down to twist his hands in Louis’ hair. Louis took that as his signal to continue and with Harry’s hands stroking through his hair he closed his mouth around Harry’s cock and sucked firmly. He caressed the skin of Harry’s inner thighs as his head moved up and down trying to take as much of his lover as he could. He was rewarded by Harry’s delighted groans and his hands tugging on his hair more and more with each movement of his head.

Louis would have been quite content to bring Harry to completion like that; he was pretty sure that he could have Harry hard and ready to go again within minutes. However his movements were stopped by a gentle hand stroking down his face and resting beneath his chin pulling his head away. For a moment he wondered if something was wrong but the look of pleasure on Harry’s face wiped away that concern. He allowed himself to be pulled back up so that Harry could kiss him deeply again. He felt strong arms wrap around him and just as he was about to get completely lost in the feeling of being held by Harry he found himself flipped over and pinned on his back. Rolling his eyes slightly and smiling playfully, he knew that he should have realised that having Harry beneath him wouldn’t last for long.

It seemed that Harry wasn’t interested in lying back and taking all the pleasure for himself as he began to kiss his way across Louis’ chest and run his fingers down his sides. The soft, almost teasing, touches were too much for Louis and he growled lowly as Harry sucked at the flesh of his neck. “I want you to fuck me, right now.” He reached over to his nightstand, ripped open the top drawer and pulled out a little bottle and a condom. Settling on his knees between Louis’ legs, Harry squeezed plenty of the liquid onto his fingers before leaning down to kiss Louis again. Louis tried his best to relax but he still found himself shocked when he felt Harry’s finger pushing inside of him.

Taking his time to prepare Louis as best as he could, Harry moved his finger carefully until he felt Louis shudder slightly beneath him and saw him open his mouth in a silent moan. He added a second finger, gently opening and closing them. It didn’t take long before Louis cried out in pleasure and his hips began to buck up and down. Harry couldn’t wait anymore and it didn’t seem like Louis could either. He pulled his fingers away causing a moan of disappointment to fall from Louis’ lips. He tore open the condom packet and rolled it onto himself. With the remaining lube on his fingers he swiped his hand across his length to coat the condom before lifting Louis’ legs and wrapping them around his waist. Lining himself up, he looked at Louis’ expectant face once more, before pushing himself forward. He slid into his lover slowly, trying to keep control of himself as he was surrounded by wonderful heat and pressure. Louis drew in a sharp breath then adjusted himself to the feeling of being filled so completely. Harry started moving at a slow pace, driving in and out carefully until he felt Louis squeeze at his arms tightly and moan loudly. Leaning forward Harry captured Louis’ lips in a heated kiss before grinding his hips into him harder and faster.

A string of expletives fell from Louis’ lips as Harry’s cock brushed against his prostate again and again. The filthy words and moans that came from Louis were pushing Harry closer to his own orgasm. Reaching down he wrapped his hand around Louis’ dick and began pumping it firmly, loving the way Louis had become a shuddering mess on the bed beneath him. A tingling heat began to pass through Harry’s body, he thrust his hips forwards again before his eyes rolled back in his head and he felt his orgasm take over. Shaking as it washed over him, he managed to continue moving his hips as he rode it out, hearing Louis reach his own climax loudly. Louis was writhing beneath him, one hand wrapped in the sheets on the bed, the other squeezing Harry’s arm tightly.

For what seemed like a long time neither of them moved. It seemed strange that it was so quiet in the bedroom just moments after moans and shouts had filled the air. The only sound now was that of the two men breathing heavily trying to calm their racing heartbeats.

Eventually Harry moved, pulling out of Louis carefully and discarding the condom. Although he didn’t want him to, Louis almost thought that Harry was going to start pulling on his clothes so he was pleasantly surprised when his bodyguard flopped back onto the bed to lie beside him. Louis shuffled across the bed closing the gap between them and rolled onto his side. He manoeuvred himself so that his head was partly resting on Harry’s chest and sighed contentedly. Harry wrapped his arm around Louis’ back and pulled him closer before closing his eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time that he felt so exhausted.

Before he could drift off to sleep he heard Louis speaking so softly that he could hardly believe that he was the same person who had been shouting and cursing a few minutes ago. “I feel so safe here with you Harry,” he whispered, his breath ghosting across Harry’s sensitive flesh. Harry didn’t reply, he just tightened his grip around Louis a little.

Louis slipped into sleep quickly, a contented little smile on his face. Even though he was exhausted Harry remained awake for quite a while. His heart jumped a little at the sight of Louis snuggled against him. He hadn’t felt anything like this for a long time but something inside him was making him feel uneasy. He pushed the feeling away, just as he had done earlier in the evening when he had kissed Louis for the first time, and eventually allowed himself to drift off.  


	6. Forever Yours - Chapter 6

_Harry opened his eyes and looked at the sleeping figure beside him. It was still dark so he knew they had plenty of time left in bed together. Very gently he stroked a few stray hairs away from Louis’ face and then kissed him lightly on top of his head. Closing his eyes he drifted back off to sleep. He was so exhausted after his night with Louis that he didn’t think anything would disturb him again until morning._

_He was wrong. His sleep was interrupted by the feeling of movement beside him. As his eyes fluttered open he realised that Louis was gone. He rubbed his eyes lethargically and pushed himself up into a sitting position._

_That was when he saw the most awful thing he had ever seen. There was a man, his face hidden by shadows, standing at the foot of the bed. He had a gun in his hand. Held tightly against his chest, with a terrified expression on his face, was Louis._

_“Harry…help me please,” Louis cried out in fear._

_The man moved the gun to point it at Louis’ cheek._

_“You can’t save him like this,” he growled._

_Harry scrabbled in the bed, turning to the nightstand where he knew he had put his gun last night. It wasn’t there. He searched around for it but it was nowhere to be seen._

_The man laughed cruelly. “You can’t save him like this,” he repeated._

_Harry tried to climb out of the bed but he couldn’t move. The sheets were twisted around him stopping him from leaving. He struggled wildly with the covers._

_“Louis!” he called as he reached out his hands towards him._

_Louis was terrified. His eyes were wide, his skin pale as he struggled against the man’s hold. “You said you’d protect me. You said you’d die for me. How can you just leave me like this?” he screamed._

_The man moved his gun and pointed it at Harry. “You can’t save him like this,” he said again. Harry wanted to scream in frustration. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He knew that he could protect Louis; he knew he could save him._

_There was silence for a moment and suddenly a deafening bang. Harry felt the burning pain as the bullet tore his flesh open. He looked down and saw the blood pouring from his chest. Still he struggled to climb out of the bed but it was useless. He wasn’t going to give up. Even as the man began to drag Louis away he still fought to get up. Even as the blood rushed from him and stained the bedding he still fought to save Louis._

_“How could you let this happen?” Louis was screaming at him. “I trusted you! Why won’t you save me?”_

_Harry was shouting Louis’ name as he tried in vain to get to him. He watched as the man dragged Louis out of his sight. “No!” he screamed. “No!”_

Harry’s eyes snapped open. He immediately looked at Louis, fast asleep beside him. Then he looked over to the nightstand. His gun was there just as he had left it last night. His heart was thundering in his chest and he sank back against the pillow and tried to calm down. It was just a nightmare. A terrible nightmare that had picked at the things that he feared the most. He ran his hands down his face and blew out a long, tired sigh. His mind was trying to remind him what he was supposed to be doing here. He wasn’t meant to be sleeping with his client and falling for him more and more each day. He was meant to be protecting him.

He had to admit to himself that he had been an idiot and totally unprofessional. How could he have allowed himself to get so emotionally involved? That was like rule number one of his own personal code and he had broken it. He liked Louis, he really did and in another time or place he thought that they would be good together but right now that couldn’t be. He couldn’t protect Louis _and_ be sleeping with him. His nightmare had been a shocking reminder of that. There was no way that he could guarantee that his mind would be truly focused on keeping Louis alive if they were involved in a physical and emotional relationship. He couldn’t be selfish. Just because he had enjoyed sleeping with Louis last night, that didn’t mean that he was willing to put him at risk just for sex.

Harry looked at Louis sadly. How the hell was he supposed to explain this? He knew how it was going to seem; like he had used Louis for a one-off and now he was ditching him. That wasn’t it at all though. It was the opposite of that. If Harry could have his way he would wrap Louis in his arms when he woke up, keep him safe and never let him go but he couldn’t do that. He shook his head angrily at his own thoughts. He didn’t want to hurt Louis but he knew that whatever he said was probably going to do just that. He just hoped that he could explain well enough to make Louis understand why he was doing this.

***

Harry was out of bed pulling on his shirt when Louis stirred from his sleep. Blinking sleepily a few times as he came round, he smiled brightly when he saw Harry standing beside the bed. Memories of the previous evening rushed back to him and he felt blissfully happy as he leaned his head on his hand.

“Morning,” he said as he stifled a yawn. “I see you’re sticking with your routine of getting up early.”

Harry didn’t reply, he just smiled weakly as he finished buttoning up his shirt. Louis didn’t seem to notice. He seemed quite lost in remembering the events of the night before. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out for breakfast this morning,” he asked lazily.

Harry looked at him sharply. He had to stop this now before it went any further. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he replied.

Finally Louis seemed to realise that something wasn’t quite right. He looked at Harry worriedly. “Is everything alright Harry?” he asked anxiously.

Harry swallowed thickly. “Look Louis…last night…it shouldn’t have happened.”

Louis’ eyes widened a little and he pushed himself into a sitting position. “What are you talking about?”

“I shouldn’t have slept with you. I’m your bodyguard and I can’t have that kind of relationship with you,” Harry tried to explain.

“That didn’t stop you last night,” Louis immediately replied. “I don’t see why it matters.”

Harry sighed heavily. “I can’t keep you safe if I’m sleeping with you. I have to focus on what I’m doing. I can’t afford to be distracted.”

“Oh so I’m a distraction,” Louis said sounding offended. “You didn’t seem to mind being _distracted_ last night. You can’t pretend that you didn’t enjoy it because I know you did.”

Harry wasn’t going to lie. He _had_ enjoyed himself but he couldn’t admit that and allow Louis to continue thinking that there was a chance for them. “Last night…” he began, then took a deep breath as he forced himself to continue, “Last night was a mistake.”

He watched as Louis looked completely crushed. His face took on an expression as though he had been slapped. “A mistake?” he whispered as he shook his head slightly.

Harry took a step closer towards the bed. He wanted to comfort Louis, tell him that he didn’t mean what he’d said.

Louis looked at him sharply. The shock was still there on his face, he looked upset but he clenched his jaw angrily. “You bastard,” he ground out. “Get the fuck out.”

“Louis…” Harry started but he was cut off immediately.

“Don’t even talk to me Harry. You’ve had your fun, you got what you wanted now get out.”

Harry didn’t move straight away. He felt fixed to the spot under Louis’ hateful glare. He could see beyond the anger though, he was sure he could see tears in Louis’ eyes.

“I said, get the _fuck_ out!” Louis shouted. His voice cracked a little as he yelled but he refused to let Harry see him upset.

Harry grabbed his holster from the nightstand, picked his jacket up from the floor and walked to the door. Pausing for a moment before he opened it, he glanced back at Louis who was staring at the wall. There was nothing he could say now to make him feel better. Quietly he opened the door and walked out.

***      

It had been two days since Harry had seen Louis. Two days that he had spent in absolute turmoil about what had happened. Of course, he kept his emotions well hidden under a professional mask but inside he was constantly berating himself for being so stupid and allowing himself to give in to his desires. It had been nearly impossible for him to control his feelings when Louis had finally appeared after two days of being shut away in his room and the fact that Louis had completely blanked him hadn’t helped.

For two days Louis had hardly left his bedroom. He had demanded that Zayn called the movie director and told him he was sick and couldn’t possibly go to the set. Zayn had no idea what had caused Louis to have such a meltdown but he had no choice but to comply with his wishes.

After two days Niall had had enough and barged into Louis’ room demanding to know what was going on. It was a long time before he emerged again but when he finally did, it seemed that Louis had told him the full story because, instead of the usual friendly smile, he gave Harry a look of scorn as he passed him on his way out.

The following morning Louis had been up and ready to go back to the set of the movie. Harry was standing beside the car waiting as Louis approached. He braced himself for some scathing comment or at least a disdainful look but he received nothing. Louis didn’t even acknowledge his presence; it was like he was invisible. Somehow that seemed to sting more than anything else he had been expecting.

The next few days seemed to drag by slowly. Louis continued to ignore Harry and pretend that he wasn’t even there. Harry had hoped that after Louis had cooled down a little they might be able to talk about what had happened and he might get the opportunity to explain his actions but there didn’t seem to be any chance of that. He found himself constantly glancing at Louis hoping that he might catch him looking his way so that they could at least make some form of contact but Louis’ eyes never seemed to be looking in his direction.

Meanwhile, Louis was finding it incredibly hard to keep up his façade of not caring. After he had revealed the cause of his misery to a persistent Niall, his best friend had urged him to try to continue as normal.

“ _Do you really want him to see that he’s hurt you? You’ve got to act like he means nothing to you. You can’t let him think you’re sitting up here pining after him like some love-struck teenager…”_ Niall’s words were constantly running through Louis’ mind and they helped to strengthen his resolve to keep ignoring Harry.

Louis was actually pretty proud of himself. He was sure that he would break as soon as he was near his bodyguard but so far he was managing to keep up Niall’s plan. Deep down, he desperately wanted to stare at Harry and try to see if he looked like he was suffering at all after what had happened. He wanted to have some form of contact just to discover once and for all if Harry actually was a heartless bastard or if there was something more that he needed to understand. However he knew that if he acknowledged Harry his barriers would break and he was determined not to let that happen.  

***

Louis had been so consumed with his trouble with Harry that the problem of his stalker had been pushed to the back of his mind. When Zayn presented him with a new letter he was actually rather surprised and he ripped the folded paper open irritably. Zayn had been debating whether or not to show Louis the letter. Although he didn’t know exactly what was going on, he was well aware that Louis was not in the best of moods and he was worried that the latest letter might push him over the edge.  However Louis had made him promise that he wouldn’t keep anything to do with his stalker from him again and he really didn’t want to get on the wrong side of the actor in his current mood.

Zayn had shown the letter to Harry first and now the two of them were standing watching as Louis’ eyes scanned the vicious words on the page. His jaw clenched as he read the letter. Words like ‘ _slut_ ’ and comments like ‘ _you will have to suffer for the way you have behaved_ ’ seemed to jump off the page and strike a physical blow against Louis. Angrily he screwed the letter up and threw it across the room.

Without thinking about it, Harry asked simply, “Are you alright Louis?”

For the first time in days Louis actually looked at Harry. His eyes snapped up to glare at his bodyguard with such ferocity that Harry almost wished he was back to being ignored.

“Why the fuck do you care?” he shouted. “Do you honestly think that there’s any minute chance that I’m alright? I’m sick of all this shit. I’m sick of living like this. I’m sick of getting fucked up letters telling me what a slut I am and how I deserve to die. I’ve had enough!” With that he leant against the breakfast bar and hung his head for a moment. He was breathing deeply as though he was trying to calm himself down. Before Harry or Zayn could comment after his outburst, he was standing up straight again with a determined look on his face. “I think I need to have a little fun to try to forget about all this shit. I want to have a party.”

If Harry wasn’t so good at controlling his reactions his mouth probably would have flapped open in shock. He couldn’t believe that Louis had gone from screaming and shouting one moment to wanting to have a party the next. He was pretty sure that it was some form of defence mechanism against what was happening but he was also sure that it wasn’t a good idea.

“I’m sorry,” he said after the shock had subsided. “But I really don’t think that a party is a good idea. It’s a very unstable environment, there are a lot of variables involved and your security would be hard to guarantee.”

The smile that Louis directed at him was dripping with sarcasm. “As much as I’m sure we all value your opinion, you can shove it. I’m having a party whether you like it or not. You don’t have to come after all.”

Harry didn’t reply and he didn’t rise to Louis’ comments. He knew there was no point. There would be no persuading Louis to reconsider his plan and he knew that the fact that he was against the idea would only make Louis more determined to stage the event.

***

The party went ahead as Harry knew it would. There had been various party organisers and caterers crawling all over the house for days and Harry was on the verge of tearing his hair out trying to keep track of them all. He was pretty sure that Louis kept arranging for new people to turn up just to stress him out but he was doing his best to keep his cool. It was of the utmost importance for Harry to know exactly who was coming in and out of the house and who would be present at the party so he could monitor Louis’ security tightly. A party was probably one of his most dreaded scenarios; the possibilities for problems were endless.

The whole ground floor of Louis’ house seemed to be full of people. Louis mingled with his guests like the perfect host and Harry kept him constantly in view as he moved around. Although he knew there were a lot of potential dangers with such a vast amount of people present at the house, Harry didn’t want to crowd Louis. He was back to receiving the silent treatment after Louis’ outburst at him a few days ago and he knew that it probably wasn’t a good idea to be one step behind the actor in the current situation. Besides Harry was constantly assessing the party, he had his eyes on Louis the whole time and he made sure that he was close enough if he was needed.

The party had been in full swing for a few hours and as far as Harry was concerned it was all going smoothly. As soon as Louis had insisted on throwing the party at his home, Harry had contacted a friend who ran a security firm and requested assistance. In order to ensure that only those who had been invited were allowed to enter Louis’ property Harry had positioned well-trained security guards at the main gate and the front door of the house. With the guests being monitored by two security checks Harry was free to keep his eye on Louis.

Louis hadn’t spoken to Harry after he had yelled at him but he hadn’t managed to keep up the act of pretending that he wasn’t even there. Every so often his eyes would drift over to where Harry was standing. On many of these occasions Harry was scanning the crowd, constantly assessing who was there and what they were doing, before his eyes would suddenly turn back to check on Louis. Each time their eyes met Louis would look away sharply and curse himself for being caught staring.

Louis was sick of the situation that they seemed to have got stuck in; he was ignoring Harry, trying to send him a message, and Harry seemed to be totally unaffected. At first he had been pleased to find that Harry seemed a little hurt by being blanked but now things were back to how they had been when Harry first started working with him. Harry wore a stoic expression and continued as though nothing had happened. Louis decided he’d had enough. It was time to change tactics. He was still angry and hurt by what had happened and he wanted to get some sort of reaction out of Harry.

Moving through the crowd of people, stopping every so often for a quick chat, Louis found the perfect way of getting back at Harry. His eyes landed on another young actor standing talking with his friends and he made his way over to them. Checking that Harry had followed and was standing nearby able to see everything, Louis immediately jumped into their conversation. Within minutes he had the full attention of the young man as he flirted with him. The younger actor seemed totally in awe that Louis had chosen to talk to him and soaked up the attention willingly. Louis kept getting him drinks and eventually the two of them separated from the small group and made their way towards the kitchen.

Harry followed the pair of them, all the while trying to hide his annoyance. He was struggling to keep his face blank as he watched Louis touch the other man lightly on the arm or lean closer as he laughed at his comments. Looking on in frustration, he actually found himself clenching his fists, as Louis leant in to whisper something in the other’s ear. The younger man looked at Louis with a raised eyebrow and a cheeky smile on his face as Louis grabbed his hand and led him out of the kitchen. Harry couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Surely Louis was just doing this to provoke some sort of reaction from him. It _was_ provoking a reaction but it wasn’t like he could actually do anything about it.

Again Harry followed them but this time he was grateful to see that they had stopped at the bottom of the stairs where Zayn was holding an animated conversation with several people. He moved a little closer to the group and tried to calm the annoyance that was threatening to erupt from within him. Again Louis was laughing brightly but his laugh trailed off as he saw Harry standing watching him. He tugged the younger man’s hand and made his way up the first few steps before he turned around and smiled at Harry sarcastically.

“I’m going to give Alex the full tour and I think we can manage perfectly well without your presence,” he said icily before he flashed a cheeky smile at the younger man and dragged him up the stairs, the pair of them staggering and giggling all the way.

Zayn walked up to him and clapped him soundly on the back. “Looks like you’ve got some time off,” he laughed as he gestured up the stairs. “Why don’t you get yourself a drink and relax for a while?”

Harry was still staring up the stairs at the spot where he had last seen Louis. He couldn’t believe what he had just seen. What was worse though was the fact that he was so jealous. He was half-tempted to run up the stairs and pull Louis away from Alex. He didn’t want anyone else touching Louis or being so close to him. He was grinding his teeth and clenching his fists as Zayn’s words filtered through to his jealousy-fogged mind. He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he finally managed to tear his eyes away from the top of the stairs.

He cleared his throat before he spoke.  “Actually…I’m not feeling too good. If I’m not needed here anymore do you think Tom could manage for the rest of the evening?”

Zayn looked surprised. Harry had never once asked to be excused from his duties so he assumed he must have been feeling really ill. “Sure thing,” he said kindly. “Go get some rest. I hope you’re feeling better soon.”

“Thanks Zayn. I’ll only be in the pool house if you need me,” Harry replied as he turned and made his way through the crowds of people to the nearest exit.

As soon as he stepped out of the house into the garden Harry drew in a deep breath. He had to calm down. Louis’ flirtations with Alex had left him fuming and struggling to retain his usual composed manner. Deep down he was pretty sure that Louis was just doing it to get back at him but the thought that he was upstairs now probably giving that guy a blowjob was like torture. How could he do that? Harry could hardly bear to think about it. It made him furious and hurt him at the same time.

Harry glanced up at the balcony of Louis’ bedroom and stared at the window. He wasn’t sure what he expected to see. After a long moment he shook his head sadly and turned away. He moved away from the house, leaving the noise behind him, and made his way across the garden towards the pool house. As he neared his temporary home he heard excited barking coming from within. When he opened the door, Louis’ dog came barrelling out and ran around him in circles, jumping up at him every so often for a pat on the head.

Harry smiled slightly as he watched the dog’s antics. “I forgot you’d been locked in here,” he said as he ruffled the dog’s ears. “Trust me, you’re not missing much at the party.”

The dog continued jumping up at Harry, grateful to have some company after being shut away in the pool house to avoid getting trampled at the party. His tail was beating from side-to-side quickly as he trotted after Harry. “I think you like me a lot more than your owner does right now,” Harry told him as he entered his home. That thought made his mind wander back to what Louis was doing upstairs at that moment and his mood immediately darkened again. Sighing heavily he felt his shoulders slump slightly as he pushed the door closed behind him and tried to forget about the party.

Louis had felt Harry’s eyes burning into his back as he had wandered up the stairs with Alex. He was glad that his antics were having an impact on his bodyguard. He wanted to send him a message; he wasn’t going to be moping around after him and he certainly didn’t need him. That was what he kept telling himself but deep down he was finding it hard to convince himself.

As he had reached the top of the stairs Louis had directed Alex towards one of the guest rooms along the hall from his own bedroom. As soon as the door was closed behind them Louis guided him to the bed and left him to lie down. Alex was completely wasted and clearly in no fit state to do anything other than sleep off the alcohol. Louis was more than a little grateful that nothing was going to happen as he watched the younger man sprawled out on the bed, with his mouth open breathing deeply. He didn’t really want anything to happen with Alex, he only wanted Harry to _think_ that something was happening. He wanted Harry to be jealous; he wanted to hurt him.

Moving away from the sleeping figure on the bed, Louis wandered to the window to look out across the garden. He needed to wait a while before he went back down to the party if Harry was going to be convinced that he’d been fooling around with Alex. Peering out of the window he was stunned to see Harry outside. He watched as his bodyguard looked up in the direction of his bedroom window. Harry seemed to gaze up at it longingly before tearing his eyes away and moving towards the pool house. Louis couldn’t understand what he was doing. Why wasn’t Harry waiting patiently for him at the bottom of the stairs? He had never known Harry to leave his post while there was any possibility of Louis needing him.

He continued watching as Harry made his way to the pool house and opened the door. He raised his eyebrows as Ted greeted Harry excitedly and found himself smiling sadly as he watched Harry pet the dog and then allow the pooch to follow him into the pool house.

As the door closed behind Harry, finally blocking him from view, Louis wondered why he had left the party. Something must have been wrong. Then he suddenly realised. It must have been because of what he had done. When he had first started flirting with Alex earlier on in the evening his goal had been to cause Harry to suffer. He would have thought that seeing Harry disappearing into the pool house so dejectedly would have caused him to feel some sense of achievement but he felt nothing but disappointment and sadness. This wasn’t really what he wanted at all but there was no way that he was going to make the first move to heal their broken relationship. Harry had hurt him and he was too proud to admit how he really felt. Sighing heavily, he moved away from the window and went back to the party to try to take his mind off his problems.


	7. Forever Yours - Chapter 7

Unsurprisingly, Louis had spent the rest of the party drinking heavily. He was totally hammered by the time his guests had all left and hadn’t emerged from his room until the afternoon. When he eventually did, he was suffering a terrible hangover and was only motivated to move by his need for a strong coffee.

He made his way to the kitchen and managed to hold a basic conversation with Zayn while he made his drink and then he was left alone as his manager disappeared. As he sat down at the breakfast bar, Harry walked into the kitchen. He stopped abruptly when he saw Louis. His eyes looked Louis up and down critically before he turned to walk away again.

Irritated by Harry’s reaction, Louis just couldn’t hold in the comment that fell from his lips. “Have you got a problem?” he snapped.

Harry spun round immediately and narrowed his eyes at Louis. He glared at him angrily but managed to hold back his retort.

“It looks like you’ve got something you want to say,” Louis continued as he matched Harry’s bitter stare.

“I don’t think you really want to know what I think of you right now,” Harry replied coldly.

Louis was furious as he pushed himself up from his seat. He was still suffering with his hangover but he wasn’t about to let Harry talk to him like that. “Don’t you _dare_ judge me. You’re in no position to take the fucking moral high ground.” He was jabbing his finger at Harry angrily as he yelled at him.

Harry’s jaw clenched at Louis’ words. He knew he had to walk away from the conversation before things went too far. He turned his back on Louis and began to walk out of the kitchen.

“Don’t walk away from me!” Louis shouted angrily. “I hope you realise that you’re the one who fucked everything up.”

Harry turned around again and fixed Louis with another angry look. “I didn’t tell you to go and fuck any random guy you could find.” His voice came out almost like a growl and he knew that he’d had the last word when he saw the look on Louis’ face. Again he turned around and this time he managed to stalk out of the kitchen without being stopped.

Things went back to how they had been before the party. Louis wasn’t speaking to Harry but this time Harry wasn’t bothered about being ignored. He didn’t exactly want to talk to Louis anyway. Acting completely indifferently around Louis was relatively easy; he had been doing it for months before this whole mess had begun so he just reverted back to what he did best. He was trying to convince himself that what had happened with Louis had just been a serious error in judgement and he didn’t care about him at all. As much as he tried to persuade himself of that, deep down he knew he was just lying to himself. He decided that the only way to get through this mess was to act professionally and not allow Louis to get under his skin anymore.

***

Days had dragged by since Louis’ party. Harry had settled, somewhat uneasily, into a routine of accompanying Louis at all times without actually having to communicate all that much with him. At first he had been sure that the situation wouldn’t work. He didn’t see how it was possible to protect Louis without actually having that much interaction with him. Despite that, he had refused to just walk away from his job. Whatever else had gone on between them, Louis’ life was still at risk and Harry was still a professional who was determined to do his job.

It seemed that Harry needn’t have worried all that much; things were working out surprisingly well. As much as he wasn’t happy with the situation that he and Louis were in, he knew he had to work around that now and try to push it to the back of his mind. He had told Louis that he couldn’t afford any distractions and he meant it.

There were brief moments when Harry was actually able to completely forget his troubles with Louis but something would always bring it back to the forefront of his mind. Usually it was some snide comment from Louis or a scathing look sent in his direction. However sometimes it was something completely unexpected that would cause everything to be dragged back up.

Harry was just leaving the house through the front door when Niall walked in. Obviously, Niall had listened to Louis’ explanation of what had happened and completely sided with him. As such, his usual friendly manner had been replaced by him joining Louis in ignoring Harry. Harry didn’t have any problem with Niall and had always been polite to him even though he hadn’t received anything in response for weeks.

“Morning,” he greeted Niall with a nod of his head, as the shorter man entered the house.

Niall scowled at him slightly before brushing past him. As he moved away Harry caught the word ‘arsehole’ muttered under Niall’s breath.

“Excuse me?” he said as he turned round to look at Niall.

Niall stopped in his tracks and spun round to face him. “I’m sorry didn’t you hear me? I called you an arsehole,” he said sarcastically.

Harry could hardly believe it. Niall always seemed like a cheerful, easy-going guy who understood what a diva Louis could be and here he was joining in with the ‘have-a-go-at-Harry’ club.

“What the hell is _your_ problem?” Harry asked angrily.

“My problem?” Niall echoed. “ _My_ problem is the way you’ve treated my best friend. When you first came to work here I actually felt sorry for you. I thought, ‘God that poor guy has got to follow Louis around constantly and put up with his every tantrum and mood swing’. I know what Louis’ like. I know he can be hard work sometimes but I also know that he’s a good person and the best friend I’ve ever had. I thought that after a while you might see that too, but all you’ve done is treat him like shit and let him down just like so many other people before you have.”

Harry was a little taken aback by Niall’s words but he wanted to know more. “What are you talking about?”

Niall looked almost sad as he spoke again. “He’s been through so many shitty things in his life. So many people have betrayed him and let him down and I actually thought you might be different. He obviously thought that too because he trusted you. He confided in you and let you get close to him and then you just pushed him away like it didn’t matter.”

Niall turned around as if he was going to walk away but Harry quickly moved in front of him. “What do you mean? Who let him down?”

Niall shook his head angrily. “His fucking dickhead ex-boyfriend who sold his story to the press, one of his ‘best’ friends since school who was leaking his every move to the paparazzi, the people who’ve hung around with him just to be seen; there’s plenty more if you want me to continue. There’s no wonder he doesn’t open up to anyone. But then he did for the first time in ages. He actually thought he could talk to you and tell you those things that he keeps so close to his heart all the time. He trusted you and you betrayed him. So you wanted to know what my problem is, well that’s it.”

Without saying anything else Niall moved around Harry and disappeared into the kitchen. Harry remained where he was for a while. He felt almost frozen in place by what he had heard. He had no idea about any of the things that Louis had been through and how people in his past had let him down. How could he have known? He had never given Louis the chance to tell him. Just as he thought that he was managing to get some control over his feelings, Niall had flipped everything round again and made him wonder if he really had done the right thing that morning when he told Louis that sleeping with him had been a mistake.  

***  

Following Niall’s outburst, Harry found it harder to be unaffected by Louis. He found himself constantly thinking about Niall’s words and often ended up staring at Louis as he tried to wrap his head around what he had learnt. It had never been his intention to hurt Louis or let him down. Things had just slipped out of his control and got too complicated.

Harry maintained that he couldn’t protect Louis and be involved with him but he was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up the front that he didn’t care. He was beginning to question whether he could continue this job at all. He wasn’t a quitter and he had never walked away from a client whilst he thought their life was still in danger, but he couldn’t help but think that he was too busy worrying about Louis’ personal life to be completely focused on _saving_ his life. If things didn’t improve soon he knew he would have to seriously think about walking away.

***

Regardless of Louis and Harry’s problems, everything else continued as normal. Louis finished working on his movie and had decided to take a few weeks off to completely unwind before he had to start promoting his latest blockbuster.

Several more letters arrived, which concerned Harry as the frequency of the messages was increasing. Louis read each one wearily before he handed them back to Zayn and wandered away. He didn’t seem to be freaked out by the letters anymore; he just seemed tired. It was like Louis had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He wasn’t happy, that much was obvious, but he just looked so exhausted and disheartened by everything.

When Louis announced that he wanted to take a little trip to Las Vegas to get away from everything, Harry immediately thought it was a bad idea but a small part of him thought that maybe it was exactly what Louis needed. As much as he knew it would be a nightmare to keep any sort of control on Louis in such an environment, he also knew that the actor needed a break and a chance to let his hair down.    

Just over a week later Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry were occupying the penthouse suite in a ludicrously expensive hotel in Las   Vegas. Harry had already made one trip to the hotel to assess its suitability and security. He had met with the manager to discuss the situation and felt reasonably confident that it would be a safe place for Louis to stay. Being ‘reasonably confident’ wasn’t exactly what Harry would normally accept but Louis was so adamant that they were staying in that hotel that he would have to settle for that.

A few days into the trip Louis actually seemed to be enjoying himself. He was obviously relaxing and getting back to his usual self. He was even aiming nasty comments at Harry again so things must have been getting back to normal. Harry was doing his best not to react to Louis’ bitching but it was pretty difficult.

When he’d had enough he turned to Zayn and told him he was going to check that the exit routes were clear. On his initial visit to the hotel he had devised several routes in and out of the building seeing as he was well aware that you never knew when you’d have to make an emergency exit. He checked that these routes were clear several times a day, as well as checking that the security on the main doors were where they should be. He had requested a security guard to be present outside the door to the suite twenty-four hours a day and he knew that whilst he was checking on security downstairs there was always someone on guard. He had also told Zayn that under no circumstances was Louis to leave the suite without him and if he tried to sneak out Zayn had to contact Harry immediately. He was quietly confident that Louis would be safe.

When Harry returned from checking the exits and yelling at the security guards at the main entrance to the building for not checking who was coming in and out of the hotel he found that the security guard on the door to the suite wasn’t in his post. “How fucking hard is it to stand outside a door?” he muttered to himself angrily as he let himself into the suite. He was planning to call down to reception immediately and find out where the guy was but he was distracted by how remarkably quiet the suite was. He called out as he checked Louis’ bedroom quickly before walking back through to the living area.

Eventually Zayn appeared through the sliding glass door that led onto the balcony.

“What’s up?” he asked as he slid his phone back into his pocket.

“Where’s Louis?” Harry asked immediately.

Zayn’s face fell slightly. “What do you mean? Isn’t he in his room?”

Harry’s jaw was clenched as he stared at Zayn. “No, he’s not and the guard on the door is gone.” Harry ran to check the other rooms in the suite as he called back over his shoulder to Zayn. “When did you last see him?”

The panic was written all over Zayn’s face. “I…um…I went outside for a smoke. Louis and Niall were in here watching the TV.”

“Call him now,” Harry commanded. “How long were you on the balcony?” he asked as he ran past him towards the living area of the suite.

“I’ve been out there for ages. I was on the phone, I didn’t see or hear them leave,” Zayn replied as he held his phone up to his ear. After a few seconds he shook his head despairingly as he got no response.

Meanwhile Harry was speaking rapidly into the phone in the suite as he quizzed the receptionist about where the security guard on the door was. After a brief pause he slammed the phone down shouting, “Shit!” in frustration. “I can’t believe he could be so fucking stupid again.”

“What?” Zayn asked desperately. “What’s happened?”

Harry shook his head angrily. “The woman on reception said that ‘Mr Tomlinson’ told the guy on the door that he wasn’t needed and he could leave. I can’t believe he’d put himself in danger like this again.” He ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. “Right, you call down to reception and ask them if they saw him leave. Then stay here in case they come back. Keep calling him. Call me if you hear from him or you find anything out.” Harry tore out of the room and disappeared as Zayn immediately picked up the phone.

***

Zayn had been pacing across the suite for what felt like an eternity with his cell phone pressed to his ear. He hadn’t managed to reach Louis and hadn’t heard anything from Harry. He was about to start tearing his hair out in panic when the door to the suite flew open and Harry burst in.

“Have you heard anything?” Harry asked before Zayn could speak.

Zayn’s eyes were wide, “No, no I haven’t been able to get through to him. He’s not answering and neither is Niall.”

It was obvious that Harry was formulating a plan of action. He was completely silent for a long moment as he stared across the room. “I’m going back out to look for him,” he announced suddenly.

As he turned to leave again, the door of the suite opened and Louis and Niall wandered in laughing brightly. They casually walked straight past Harry who stood watching them in stunned silence.

It was Zayn that erupted, his anger and stress finally taking over. “Where the _fuck_ have you been?” he yelled.

Coming to an immediate stop, Louis and Niall both stared at him in surprise. Neither of them had ever heard Zayn sound so furious.

“Calm down Zayn,” Louis answered. “We just went for a walk to get some fresh air and called in at a couple of places along the way.”

“You went out without Harry. Do you realise the danger you’ve put yourself in today?” Zayn scolded him.

Casting a quick disparaging look over his shoulder at Harry, Louis replied simply, “I’m back in one piece aren’t I?”

“That’s not the point,” Zayn said in frustration. “Harry’s been all over looking for you. Anything could have happened.”

“Jesus Christ, I think you need to relax,” Louis laughed easily. He was enjoying the fact that he had caused so much trouble but he had noticed that Harry hadn’t actually said anything and the whole reason he had snuck out in the first place was to irritate his bodyguard. “It’s not like anything happened. I’m starting to think that I don’t actually _need_ Harry at all.”

Smiling sarcastically at Harry, he started walking towards his bedroom. “I’m going for a shower and a lie down,” he announced as though he didn’t have a care in the world. Niall disappeared into his own room immediately afterwards; he could feel the tension in the suite and he didn’t want to be around when it boiled over.

Harry was staring at the closed door to Louis’ bedroom; he hadn’t moved or spoken. As he had listened to the exchange between Zayn and Louis he had come to the conclusion that Louis was wilfully putting himself in danger just to spite him and he couldn’t allow that to continue. Besides, he wasn’t sure how much more crap he could take from Louis before he punched him or worse.

Zayn looked at him warily for a moment. “Harry…” he began, but he was cut off immediately.

“Save it Zayn,” Harry said firmly. “I’m done.”

“What do you mean you’re ‘done’?” Zayn asked in panic.

“I mean, I’ve had enough of this shit. I can’t be held responsible for his safety if he’s not willing to co-operate with me. If he wants to get himself killed then I can’t save him. I’ll work out my notice and help you find someone else but I’m done. I quit.”

“You can’t quit,” Zayn told him as Harry began walking towards the door to the suite. “Louis needs you.”

Harry spun round quickly. “No, he doesn’t _need_ me, he just said so himself.” He shook his head as he turned away again to walk out. As his hand landed on the door handle he heard a cry of terror from Louis’ room. Without a moment’s hesitation he was sprinting across the suite towards the bedroom, his gun was already in his hand. Pushing the door open quickly, he rushed into the room.

***

Louis had been smirking to himself as he wandered off to his bedroom. His plan to wind Harry up had clearly succeeded; Harry had been so pissed off that he didn’t even have the words to yell at Louis for being stupid. Of course Louis knew his little stunt had been stupid, he knew the danger he had put himself in but he just couldn’t resist the temptation to get under Harry’s skin. Besides nothing had actually happened to him, maybe the heightened security was a bit over the top. If he could manage to go out on his own like that, maybe he didn’t need a bodyguard after all.

As he wandered to his bathroom he wondered what Harry was saying to Zayn outside. He wondered how much Harry would put up with before he snapped. Flicking the light on as he walked into the bathroom he glanced up at the large mirror. There was no stopping the scream that left him as he fell back in horror. He backed out of the bathroom and kept walking backwards, his eyes fixed on the doorway, until his legs hit the edge of his bed and he slumped back onto it.   

The bedroom door flew open startling Louis and finally taking his focus away from the bathroom. There was Harry, gun in hand, ready to face whatever was inside. His eyes immediately landed on Louis sitting on the edge of his bed looking pale.

“Are you alright?” Harry asked as he approached him.

Louis shook his head slightly, “In there.” He lifted a shaking hand to point at the bathroom.

Harry spun round and stalked towards the bathroom. He had lowered his gun slightly but he held it ready. His eyes scanned everything as he neared the bathroom and then he entered the room slowly.

He could see why Louis was so distressed. Written in red across the mirror was a message from his stalker. The words seemed to almost jump out as the bright lights of the bathroom reflected on the surface of the mirror. The message had a similar theme to all the others, the same hate-filled words, the same angry tone. However there was something strikingly different this time and it wasn’t just the fact that the message wasn’t written on paper. All the previous messages had signed off with just ‘ _Forever yours_ ’, this one ended, ‘ _Forever yours, as you will soon be forever mine_.’ It was a disturbing thought. It even unsettled Harry as he read it – a cold shiver passed along his spine. The stalker was getting closer and he obviously intended to make his final move soon.  

Harry checked the bathroom for any other signs of disturbance before walking back into the bedroom. Zayn was sitting beside Louis on the bed with his arm wrapped around him. Louis looked a lot younger in that moment and the carefree, obnoxious attitude was long gone.

“It’s not safe here,” Harry announced as he stood before them. “My advice is that we take you home.” He half-expected some sort of argument from Louis, some resistance to his suggestion, but he heard nothing. Louis didn’t even look up at him.

***

It didn’t take long to collect up all their belongings and leave the hotel. Harry didn’t leave Louis’ side until he was settled back in his home. He had left Louis to unpack as he did a security check of the house. There had already been one serious breach of security that day which he was furious with himself about, he wasn’t going to allow any more.   

After a long and particularly stressful day, Harry was more than a little grateful to just be alone in the pool-house. He changed out of his suit and traded it for a much more comfortable pair of shorts and a t-shirt. There was no way that Louis would be wanting to go anywhere and he knew he had the rest of the evening to himself.

Unfortunately, changing out of his work clothes didn’t mean he switched off his ‘work mind’. He just couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened. It wasn’t his fault, it hadn’t happened because he had neglected his duties but he still felt responsible. He was struggling to understand it. If the stalker had been able to get in, why hadn’t he made a grab for Louis then? Why had he gone to the effort of leaving another message when he could have just waited and attacked Louis when he returned? The more he thought about it, the clearer it became. The stalker was obviously enjoying playing a game with Louis. He obviously wanted to frighten him; he wanted to build up to the moment when he finally attacked. It was a sick, disturbing game and it made Harry furious just to think about it. 

Seeing how quiet and distressed Louis had been had actually made Harry feel sorry for him. He knew that Louis had spent the last few weeks talking to him like shit and going out of his way to be an arsehole but he wouldn’t wish something like this on him. No-one deserved to be terrified like this.

Harry wanted nothing more than to chill out for the rest of the evening and get an early night while he had the chance. He was sure he wouldn’t be disturbed so he was surprised when he heard a light knocking on the door to the pool-house. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he walked to the door and pulled it open. He didn’t know what to say when he saw Louis standing outside looking at him with a face torn between apprehension and exhaustion.

“Is everything alright?” he asked after a long silence filled with the two of them just looking at each other.

Louis cleared his throat quietly. “I was wondering if I could talk to you,” he replied as he looked down at his feet.

This was not the Louis that Harry had become so used to over the last few weeks. He seemed so quiet and unsure. “Of course,” he replied as he stepped to one side and gestured for Louis to enter the pool-house.

Louis was fiddling with the hem of his t-shirt as Harry stood before him. “What did you want to talk to me about?” Harry asked gently. He was amazed that he was managing to be quite so accommodating to Louis after everything that had happened over the last few weeks, but after the earlier events at the hotel Harry couldn’t help but feel something other than anger towards him. 

Louis looked up at him suddenly and chewed on his lower lip nervously for a moment. He held eye contact with Harry as he finally said, “I wanted to talk to you so I could say I’m sorry.”

Harry blinked rapidly a few times in shock. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting Louis to say but it certainly wasn’t that.

Louis was still looking at him seriously. “I am sorry Harry. I’ve been a total dick to you for weeks now. I’ve behaved like such a spoilt brat. I know you must hate me but I just wanted you to know that I’m really sorry.”

“I…I don’t hate you Louis,” Harry replied as he tried to absorb the words gushing out of the actor.

“You should,” Louis answered immediately. “I’m ashamed of the way I’ve been acting. I was just…” he sighed deeply, “I was just so angry and upset about what happened between us. You hurt me and I wanted to make you feel the same.”

The apology was so genuine that Harry had no doubt that Louis meant every word that he was saying. He looked so desperate to tell Harry the truth and let him know that he really was sorry for what had happened.

“Zayn told me that you’re going to leave,” Louis continued. “I don’t blame you for that. I don’t know how you’ve put up with me for as long as you have. I just want you to know that I lied earlier when I said that I didn’t need you. I _do_ need you. When I saw what was in the bathroom at the hotel all I wanted was you. I don’t want you to leave without knowing the truth.”

Harry could hardly believe that Louis was standing in front of him pouring his heart out after everything they had been through. He took a few deep breaths as he tried to process what he had heard. “Louis…I’m not going to leave. I was angry when I said that but I’m not going to leave you to deal with this alone.” He paused as he looked at Louis steadily for a moment. “I’m not sure if you understand how much I appreciate you coming over here like this – it can’t have been easy. Thank you.”

Louis shook his head slightly and looked back at his feet.

Harry drew in another deep breath before he spoke again, “I want you to know that I’m sorry too.”

Louis looked back up at him with raised eyebrows.

“I’m sorry for the way I treated you after we slept together. I didn’t exactly explain myself very well and I can understand why you were so angry. I know it must be hard to understand but I have to be totally focused on my job. I can’t afford to be thinking about anything other than keeping you safe. If there’s something going on between us it makes things so much more complicated. I don’t want you to think that I don’t care about you because I do, but while I’m your bodyguard there can’t be anything else,” Harry said as he finally got the chance to explain everything that he felt.

The smallest smile appeared on Louis’ face and he looked like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “I’m glad you’re not going to leave,” he said quietly.

Harry smiled in response. He felt an overwhelming sense of relief to have finally been able to have this conversation with Louis.

Louis shifted where he was standing and cleared his throat. “I should probably head back over to the house and leave you in peace.”

Harry nodded once as Louis walked past him towards the door. Before he even had chance to think about it he said gently, “Stay.”

Louis turned around to face him with a questioning look on his face but he didn’t speak.

Harry swallowed thickly. “Stay here with me. We’ll talk some more, I don’t want you sitting over there alone thinking about what’s happened today.”

Smiling appreciatively, Louis nodded his agreement and followed Harry to the couch.

***

When Louis opened his eyes it took him a moment to remember where he was. It was dark outside and the room was softly lit by a small lamp. He was incredibly comfortable and he realised that he had been sleeping on a couch. As he reached his hand up to rub at his sleepy eyes he became aware that his head wasn’t resting on the arm of the couch but on someone’s lap. Twisting himself around, he looked up and stared straight into the gently smiling eyes of Harry.

“Oh, I’m sorry…I must have fallen asleep,” he said as he tried to push himself up.

A firm hand landed on his shoulder preventing him from moving. “It’s fine Lou, you obviously needed the rest.”

“What time is it?” Louis asked as he settled his head back against Harry’s thighs.

“Too late for you to be going back over to the house,” Harry replied. “You might as well stay here. Not on the couch though, I don’t think my back can take it. We’ll stay in my bed.”

Louis’ eyes widened dramatically as he looked up at Harry in shock, “But you said…”

Harry laughed slightly and shook his head. “I think it’s best if we just go to sleep this time.”

A tinge of pink coloured Louis’ cheeks as he managed to push himself upright. “Good idea,” he mumbled. “Lead the way then.”

Louis didn’t think it would have mattered where he had laid his head at that moment – as long as he was with Harry he would be comfortable enough to drift off to sleep. They had talked for hours and cleared the air between them leaving them both feeling happier than they had for weeks. As they settled down in bed, Louis with his head turned to the side to face Harry, he whispered, “I really am glad that you’re not leaving.”

Harry smiled softly, “I’m not going anywhere.” 


	8. Forever Yours - Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the penultimate chapter of this story.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read, commented or left kudos so far.

The next few weeks flew by in a blur. Louis’ schedule had been monopolised by publicity events for his new movie and he had been travelling all over the country to promote it. It seemed that the busy agenda was exactly what Louis needed. It kept him totally focused and he didn’t have time to fret about what his stalker was planning.

Harry had no such distractions. His mind was permanently fixed on the fact that the situation was going to reach its conclusion sooner rather than later. Ever since the message in the bathroom at the hotel, Harry had been on high alert. He was convinced that an attempt to make direct contact with Louis was next on the stalker’s to-do list and he wanted to be prepared. He _was_ prepared; in fact he was pretty keen to ‘meet’ the twisted individual that had been causing Louis so much distress.

Trusting his instincts was the way that Harry had become such a successful bodyguard. It was like he had some sort of sixth sense for detecting dangerous situations and he had learnt over the years to never ignore the alarm bells that went off in his head if something didn’t feel right. Despite being well aware of the danger Louis was in and knowing that the stalker was more than just some loopy fan that wanted to give the actor a hug, Harry was quietly confident. There was no way in hell that the creep was going to hurt Louis; he was sure of it.

Things between Louis and Harry had been so much easier after their heart-to-heart. There was no resentment or anger anymore. Their relationship seemed to be the healthiest it had ever been. Louis knew that while Harry was protecting him there was no chance of anything happening between them and he had accepted it. He wasn’t entirely happy about it but he knew that there was no point even thinking about going down that road again – not after the mess it had caused last time. He couldn’t help but flirt with Harry sometimes but he knew when to stop before he got carried away.

Of course Harry was completely in control. He allowed the playful banter and flirting with Louis because he was confident that Louis understood the way that things had to be. In some ways he seemed much more relaxed and comfortable with Louis but he was still completely focused on his job. Even as he laughed at Louis’ stupid jokes and comments he was still aware of everything going on around him, he was prepared to move to protect Louis at any moment.

Louis still had his moments when he showed that he was a Hollywood A-lister who could throw a hissy-fit at the drop of a hat but thankfully the sulks and tantrums weren’t aimed at Harry as much anymore. There had been a few occasions when Harry’s intense awareness of security had riled Louis and there had been some angry words thrown in his direction but on the whole Louis was trying to be more co-operative.

After several weeks of promoting the movie and travelling all over, Louis’ hard work was rewarded. News came that the movie had been nominated for an Academy Award and Louis was up for Best Actor. He was beside himself as he bounded around the house screaming about it. It was his first nomination for such a prestigious award and he felt like he was finally making the step to being recognised as a serious actor rather than just someone who was on-screen because of their appearance.

He thanked Harry immediately and it had taken Harry a moment to realise that he was being thanked for teaching Louis how to hold and fire a gun. Apparently, it had made Louis’s portrayal seem totally realistic and added a great deal of credibility to the movie. Harry didn’t really know how to receive such thanks so he just shrugged and smiled a little awkwardly. He did begin to wonder if Louis would mention him in his acceptance speech when he won the award (which Harry was convinced he would) but he tried to push such thoughts out of his mind.

The announcement of the awards ceremony immediately set Harry’s mind racing. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed likely that it would be the perfect moment for the stalker to strike. The stalker had been playing a frightening game for a long time now; it was obviously nearing its end and what better way to finish it than by attacking Louis in the moment he had been so happy about. Louis was so pleased about the awards that Harry almost didn’t have the heart to ruin it for him by sharing his concerns but he knew he had to tell Louis everything in order to keep him safe.

***

Hollywood’s biggest night of the year arrived and Louis was a nervous wreck. He had taken on board everything that Harry had told him about his theory about the stalker and seemed to completely understand the seriousness of the situation. He had looked a little sad as Harry explained to him that he thought it was the obvious moment for an attack to happen, but then he had nodded in acceptance as though he had already come to the same conclusion himself and Harry was just confirming his fears. Despite the dread that he felt about what might happen, he was also incredibly excited and nervous about the actual event. It was potentially a huge moment in Louis’ career and he was well aware of the importance of the evening.

Instead of waiting outside near the car as he normally did when he was escorting Louis anywhere, Harry went up to his room to check if he was ready for the evening. Harry smiled fondly as he saw Louis standing in front of the mirror fiddling with his hair. He looked every bit the Hollywood star in his tuxedo and Harry tried not to make it too obvious that he was impressed.

“Hey,” he said softly so as not to startle him. “Are you about ready?”

Louis turned around to look at him with a frown on his face. “I would be if my hair would stop being so awkward. Does it look weird to you?”

Harry chuckled gently, “No Lou. It looks perfect. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Louis raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to the side slightly. “Except getting murdered,” he replied sarcastically.

The smile fell from Harry’s face as he looked at Louis steadily. “That’s not going to happen,” he said firmly. “No-one will get near you while I’m around. I’ve told you Louis, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”

Louis drew in a deep breath, “I know. I’m sorry. I’m just freaking out that’s all.”

“It’s okay to be scared but you should focus on the awards and let me worry about everything else. Have you got your acceptance speech?”

Louis laughed loudly, “What speech?” he said as he shook his head at Harry. “I really don’t think I’ll need one.”

“Yes you will,” Harry replied. “You’re going to win – you deserve it. You know I’m always right.”

Laughing again, Louis seemed to have momentarily forgotten his concerns. “You just _think_ you’re always right and we just agree with you so as you don’t do some crazy martial arts shit on us. You actually talk a lot of bullshit.”

Harry was smiling again as he nodded at Louis’ cheeky comments. He was happy to let Louis joke around with him if it was taking his mind off being afraid. “How do you know I won’t do some ‘crazy martial arts shit’ right now because you’ve offended me?”

“Even _you_ wouldn’t dare do that,” Louis replied knowingly. “No-one in their right mind would try that on an actor who had just spent several hours getting ready for the Oscars.”

Harry laughed as Louis walked past him and they headed down to the car. He knew Louis’ joviality wouldn’t last but it was good to see him smiling at least for now.

***

Once they arrived at the ceremony Harry could no longer focus on anything other than constantly monitoring Louis’ security. He didn’t have anything left to be able to chat with Louis and take his mind off his worries. Of course Louis immediately picked up on the difference and he started to panic about what was going to happen. He tried to keep the tension hidden inside but he felt like it was something that wanted to burst out of him and scream. There were so many people shouting his name and so many cameras flashing at him as he made his way along the red carpet that he felt like all he wanted to do was run away. He tried to keep a smile plastered on his face but he knew it slipped several times.

This wasn’t fair. This was the biggest night of his career and he was supposed to be revelling in the attention and adoration not silently screaming in terror and wondering if some mad-man was watching him right now. Harry was a constant tense presence near him and as much as he knew he appreciated that, he couldn’t help but feel some resentment towards him. It wasn’t that he was angry with Harry, it was just that all the frustration, fear and panic he felt was being somehow channelled towards him. He knew he’d be lost without Harry but he also couldn’t help but wish that he wasn’t there. If Harry wasn’t there that would mean Louis didn’t need extra security which would mean he didn’t have a psycho after him. In his current distressed state he couldn’t understand that his fraught mind was blurring the issue and making him angry at the wrong person.  

By the time Louis had made it to the end of the red carpet he was incredibly tense. His heart was racing and he felt sick.

“Are you alright Louis?” Harry asked as he placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Louis shrugged away from the contact. “I’m fine,” he snapped as he stalked away. Harry didn’t take it to heart. He understood the stress that Louis was feeling and he just followed him quietly.

Once the ceremony began Harry hoped that Louis would relax and feel more comfortable. Meanwhile, Louis sat in his seat glancing around the room nervously as various people stood on the stage and announced nominees and winners of awards. He didn’t even notice who was winning. He felt trapped. There were so many people in the room and he was convinced that one of them wanted him dead. He was getting too hot and he felt uncomfortable. He just wanted the whole evening to be over.

Suddenly he pushed himself out of his seat. He wasn’t even sure what he was doing, his body just seemed to be carrying him away from the hall. He was aware that people were following him but he didn’t stop walking until he was in a backstage area. His hands were shaking as he slipped his jacket off.

“What’s going on?” Zayn asked as he stood in front of him.

Louis sighed deeply as he felt himself cooling down. “I just needed some air.”

“Do you feel ill? You don’t need to leave do you?” Zayn asked.

Louis wanted to say ‘yes’ but looking at Zayn’s expectant face he knew the awards meant so much to him too. “No, I’m just panicking that’s all.”

“I told you Louis, try not to worry about it,” Harry told him from behind Zayn.

Louis felt himself tense at the words. He stepped to the side so he could see Harry clearly. “Try not to worry about it?” he repeated angrily. “How the hell do you expect me to do that when you’ve told me that I’m going to get attacked tonight? The reason I’m freaking out so much is _you_.” He pointed his finger accusingly at Harry. “I’d be just fine if you weren’t here!”

Harry blinked in shock a few times as he absorbed Louis’ words. He didn’t really know how to respond to that but he didn’t need to as Niall stepped in.

“Mate, you need to just calm down a bit. Harry’s only here to help you. Look I know you’re stressing but you need to focus on your award. You’re safe, nothing’s going to happen to you with all these people around. There’s security everywhere and you’ve got Harry watching your back. Let’s take a deep breath and head back inside. Your award’s nearly up.”

Louis was looking at his best friend closely as he spoke. Then he nodded once as though he had been completely calmed by his words and pulled his jacket back on. Niall helped straighten it out and then they began walking back towards the main hall.

Zayn patted Harry on the shoulder and shrugged at him. He clearly didn’t understand Louis’ crazy outburst and neither did Harry. He knew he had to focus though. He reminded himself that Louis was struggling to cope with the fact that he was a target and he tried not to take the comments personally.

Louis managed to remain in his seat until it was time for his category to be announced. As he listened to the names being read out all thoughts of his stalker disappeared from his mind. He was tense now for an entirely different reason.

And then he heard it, “The award for best actor in a leading role goes to…Louis Tomlinson.” He was completely stunned and it must have shown on his face because both Zayn and Niall were laughing as they hugged him. Standing up from his seat rather unsteadily, he made his way towards the stage. The smile on his face now was totally genuine. This was one of the greatest moments of his life and he felt like he was walking on air.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Harry going round the side of the hall towards the stage and he almost stumbled. He was brought back to reality with a crash as he was reminded again of the potential danger he was in.

He made his way up the steps and accepted his award from the announcers but he felt like he was in a blur. This was not how he imagined this moment would be. He was still smiling but as he stood before the microphone to give his speech he found his throat had gone completely dry. Looking out across the audience he felt sick again. All those people watching him - was one of them his stalker? Was one of them about to pull out a gun and shoot him?

Louis just stood there and stared out across the room. His heart was hammering in his chest as he looked into the bright lights shining on him. Someone coughed and Louis seemed to come back to reality. He was standing clutching his Oscar in front of a rather confused looking audience. He didn’t even know how long he’d been standing there.

“Um…this is a total shock. I’m lost for words,” he tried at a joke to cover his embarrassment but he felt like an idiot. “I’d better keep this short. I’d like to thank my manager Zayn and my best friend Niall for their support. Everyone that worked on the movie – it was such a privilege to work with such creative people. I’d like to thank my family for everything they’ve done for me over the years. I’m totally overwhelmed by this so thank you.”

Loud applause started as he lifted the award slightly and walked away from the microphone. His legs felt like jelly and he still thought that someone was going to grab him at any moment. Harry met him backstage and Louis scowled at him slightly. Nothing had happened despite Harry’s foreboding prediction.

Harry actually looked completely baffled. He had been so sure it would be tonight, on the stage in front of a captive audience. The night wasn’t actually over yet though and Harry was still convinced the stalker would make his move before the night was out even if it hadn’t happened exactly when he thought it would.

***

After several hours of interviews and photo opportunities Louis was exhausted and more than a little irritated. He had answered what seemed like hundreds of questions and kept a smile on his face the whole time. He was totally elated about winning the award but he felt like his enjoyment had been dampened by Harry’s warnings.

Of course he was glad that no-one had tried to kidnap him or kill him but he was also annoyed that Harry had worked him up into a wild panic for nothing and ruined his evening. His anger was fuelled by the fact that he thought he must have looked like a complete idiot standing in front of everyone silently for an inexplicable length of time. He was convinced that that would be what was all over the papers the next day. In his head he was already imagining the stories that the press would create; he was so wasted he couldn’t even speak, he was having a nervous breakdown, he wasn’t intelligent enough to actually string a sentence together. He ground his teeth in annoyance as he thought about it.

Harry was at a loss. He didn’t know how to explain what had happened or more accurately what _hadn’t_ happened. He had been so sure it would be at the awards. Every fibre of his being had been screaming that Louis was in danger as soon as they had arrived at the ceremony. Maybe he had just talked himself into believing that it would be that night. Whatever had gone wrong with his ‘sixth sense’ for danger he didn’t know how he was going to explain it to Louis whose face was like thunder as he looked at Harry.  

“I need my phone – I think I left it in the car,” Louis said suddenly.

“Do you want me to go down to the parking garage and get it?” Zayn offered.

“No, I’ll go,” Louis replied. “I could use some space.”

Louis made to walk away but Zayn stopped him. “You have to wait for Harry.”

Louis sucked in a sharp breath and wrinkled his nose. “Fine. Are you coming?” he snapped in Harry’s direction.

Harry nodded once as he followed Louis. He felt like a naughty child but he couldn’t blame Louis for being angry with him. He had put the fear of God in Louis with his theory about what was going to happen tonight and nothing had happened at all. He felt like he had let Louis down and he wasn’t sure if he’d be forgiven easily.

As they walked Harry decided he needed to make the first move to smooth things over.

“Congratulations on winning,” he said quietly. “I knew you would.”

“Thanks,” Louis muttered in response. He was stomping along so quickly that it seemed like he was trying to escape Harry.

It didn’t seem to take long before they reached the parking garage. They were halfway across the car park by the time Harry had decided that he had to say something about what had happened.

“Louis, I’m sorry about freaking you out needlessly tonight. I was so sure he would make his move tonight and I just wanted you to be prepared.”

Louis stopped abruptly and turned to face him. “This was supposed to be one of the best nights of my life and I haven’t been able to enjoy it because I’ve been freaking out so much about what you _thought_ was going to happen. _Nothing_ happened Harry. You were wrong. Maybe next time you should just keep your crazy theories to yourself.”

Louis marched away from Harry once more and for just a moment Harry hesitated. For the first time in years he was questioning his abilities as a bodyguard and he felt rooted to the spot by his doubts.

Louis hadn’t even noticed that Harry wasn’t directly behind him. He was in a foul mood as he stomped out from a row of parked cars. A loud squeal of tyres echoed through the practically deserted garage and Louis looked up sharply. Racing towards him was a dark saloon car and the driver didn’t seem to be slowing down. Louis was frozen to the spot in terror; he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the approaching vehicle; it was going to hit him and he was powerless to avoid it.

Something solid slammed into him from the side and he felt himself propelled out of the path of the car. He landed in an undignified heap on the floor, hissing as the skin on his hand ripped against the concrete.

His heart was thundering against his ribs and for a split-second everything seemed quiet. Then there was a sickening thump, the sound of hard metal hitting something much more yielding. Whipping his head round immediately, Louis watched in horror as Harry bounced up the bonnet of the car and slammed into the windscreen. The car screeched to an abrupt halt and Harry was thrown to the concrete where he rolled several times before coming to a stop.

It took Louis a moment to register what he had just seen but once it had sunk in he felt sick to his stomach. Harry had pushed him out of the way, saving his life as he had always promised he would, but hadn’t had the chance to get himself out of harm’s way. Harry had said that he would protect him no matter what the cost and now it seemed that the cost was his own life. As much as Louis didn’t want to even think it, it seemed impossible that Harry could have survived such an impact. He scrabbled to his feet unsteadily. He wasn’t going to give up hope that Harry would be alright; he had to help him. Taking a few shaky steps towards the still figure on the floor, he winced at the awkward angle that Harry’s leg was bent at and the smear of blood down the side of his face. Harry was lying facing him but his eyes were closed and Louis was too far away to make out if he was breathing or not.

Louis took another step before he realised that he wasn’t alone. The driver of the car had got out of his vehicle and had moved to stand between Louis and Harry.

“Oh my God,” Louis gasped as he staggered to a halt. “What the hell are you doing?”

The man had pulled out a gun which he had pointed at the terrified and confused actor. “Hello Louis,” he said as though it was a totally normal situation.

Louis stared in shock at the man. “James…I…I don’t understand. What are you doing?”

The man before him was his ex-boyfriend but he looked so different as he pointed a gun at Louis. His eyes were full of bitterness as they burnt into him.

“I’ve been waiting so long to be near you again Louis. I’ve missed you,” James said with a sickly smile.

“It’s been _you_ this whole time,” Louis managed to say. He seemed to be speaking his thoughts aloud. “You’ve been sending me the letters.”

“Of course. I had to make you see that we belong together,” James replied easily. He seemed completely oblivious to Louis’ discomfort. “You broke my heart Louis. You pushed me away.”

“We…we broke up,” Louis said slowly. “You only wanted to be with me because you wanted to get your face in the papers.”

“That’s not true. I love you,” James told him.

“You sold your story to the press! How is that love?” Louis was trying to keep calm but he was finding it incredibly difficult.   

“I just wanted you to know how much I love you,” James replied. He was still smiling at Louis as though they had finally been reunited and everything was completely normal.

“If you love me, why have you been sending me those letters? Why have you been saying those awful things? Why do you want to hurt me?” Louis asked desperately. He was trying to think of ways to escape the situation but he was so panicked he was coming up blank. The only thing he could think to do was to keep James talking and pray that someone would come along and find them before it was too late.

James’ face seemed to darken a little and his nostrils flared. “You’ve been ignoring me. I had to make you understand that you belong to me. I know you love me too but you’ve been letting other people stand in our way. I can’t allow that.” He gestured over his shoulder to where Harry’s body was unmoving on the concrete.

Louis’ eyes wandered back to Harry. He desperately wanted to help him but he was stuck at the mercy of his delusional former lover.

“Don’t look at _him_!” James suddenly snapped at him. “Do you know how long he’s kept me away from you? Every time I’ve wanted to get close to you _he’s_ been there. I wanted to be near to you tonight at the ceremony but he was there, right beside you, in my way. I knew I’d have to get rid of him if I wanted to get to you but I didn’t realise it would be so easy. I was down here tonight thinking about how I could get close to you and then you turned up. Don’t you see that it was meant to be? Now _he’s_ gone we can be together. I can take you away from all of this and all these people that try to stop us.”

“That’s not what I want,” Louis said quietly as his eyes widened. He could tell that James was starting to lose control and he was terrified.

“Of course it is,” James said as he shook his head. “I know what’s happened. Those friends of yours and that bodyguard, they’ve all turned you against me. They never wanted us to be together – they were jealous. We don’t need them, we only need to be together forever. I’m forever yours Louis and you are forever mine. You have to come with me and we can get away from here.” He took a step towards Louis and Louis took a step backwards.

“No, no… I don’t want to go with you,” Louis said as he shook his head.

James drew in a deep breath. He wasn’t smiling anymore. His jaw was clenched tightly and his eyes were full of annoyance. “I knew you’d be like this.” He waved the gun at Louis angrily. “I knew they’d turned you against me. It’s time you stopped listening to them and did what you were supposed to. You’ve been behaving terribly lately; getting drunk and spending too much time with other people. That’s why I got so angry with you…because you keep pushing me away. I warned you what would happen if you didn’t do as I said. You need to learn your lesson Louis. We belong together.” He paused and closed his eyes for the briefest moment.

Louis considered running; what other choice did he have? But he was pretty sure he’d end up with a bullet in his back if he so much as turned around. He took another tiny step backwards and James’ eyes snapped open and pinned him to the spot.

“I don’t care _how_ we’re together Louis. If you don’t want to come with me, I’ll take you anyway and then we’ll have forever for you to remember that you love me.” Suddenly his hand became steady and he pointed the gun directly at Louis’ chest.

Louis held out his hands to try to pacify the mad man before him. “Please James. Please don’t do this.”

James simply shook his head and smiled again. “You are forever mine Louis.”

Louis looked at him in horror; this was it. Harry had been right all along that it would be that night. He couldn’t get the terrible images of what James was going to do with him out of his mind. He was going to die and no-one would ever know what had happened to him or find his body. And on top of that, Harry had given up his life in vain and Louis had never got the chance to thank him for everything he had done.

Louis squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want the last thing he saw to be James smirking at him as he pulled the trigger. He heard the deafening bang as the bullet exploded from the gun, then he heard a second shot and he wondered why it didn’t hurt. Maybe it was over so quickly that he hadn’t even felt it. For a moment he just stood where he was with his eyes tightly closed but then something made him push past his fear and dare to take a look. Opening his eyes incredibly slowly, afraid that James would still be there smiling at him, it took him a moment to fully comprehend what he was seeing.

James was lying face down on the floor in a rapidly growing pool of bright red blood. His gun had skidded across the concrete away from him, far from his grasp even if he was still alive. Louis stared at him for a long moment before he lifted his eyes away from his body and looked up.

Harry was still lying on the ground but his arm was outstretched perfectly steadily as he gripped his gun tightly. His eyes locked with Louis’ and a look of satisfaction flickered across his face before his expression was contorted into one of pain. His arm suddenly fell, his gun clattered to the ground and his eyes closed.

Louis’ eyes widened as he gasped in shock. He ran the short distance and knelt down beside his fallen bodyguard. “Harry? Harry can you hear me?” he asked as he gently laid his hands against his shoulders.

It took a while but Harry’s eyes gradually opened. “Hey Lou,” he croaked. “Are you alright?”

“Don’t worry about me,” Louis replied shaking his head.

“That’s my job,” Harry retorted with as much force as he could manage. “You’re going to be alright now.”

“You saved my life,” Louis whispered.

Harry seemed to take a long time to answer. “I told you I would,” he eventually said. “You’re going to be alright now,” he repeated.

“I need to get you some help,” Louis told him as he gently touched the side of his face.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine,” Harry replied before his eyes closed heavily and he became frighteningly still again.

“Shit!” Louis exclaimed. He could feel tears stinging behind his eyes. “Harry? Harry, please wake up. Please don’t give up, you have to hold on.”

Painfully slowly, Harry’s eyes opened once more. “What’s wrong Lou?” he whispered. He seemed confused as though he didn’t understand why Louis was so distressed.

“You have to stay with me,” Louis replied as he tried to keep his voice steady. “Don’t fall asleep.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Harry told him.

Louis let out a strangled sob as he remembered Harry speaking those exact words as they fell asleep together in the pool house. “I’m so sorry I’ve been such a dickhead to you Harry... God I feel like I spend my whole life apologising for treating you badly.”

A tiny smile actually tugged at Harry’s lips at Louis’ words but he didn’t say anything. He was too busy concentrating on staying awake.

Louis gently took hold of his hand. “I want you to know how grateful I am for everything you’ve done for me. You saved my life, more than once.”

Harry squeezed Louis’ hand in response. He didn’t have the strength to do anything else – he could feel himself slipping away.

From across the garage a shout rang out and Louis spun around immediately. Zayn, Niall and several people that Louis didn’t know were running towards them. Louis could hear Zayn on his cell phone requesting an ambulance and he felt his hopes lift a little.

“It’ll be alright now, help’s on the way,” he said as he turned back to Harry. He trailed off as he saw Harry’s eyes were closed, his face was slack and his hand was no longer gripping Louis’. “No…Harry no! You have to stay with me.” He couldn’t stop the tears that fell now as his desperate cries did nothing to bring Harry back.


	9. Forever Yours - Chapter 9 (Epilogue)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read this story. I truly appreciate the kudos and comments. This has been my first fic in this fandom and I was a little nervous about how this would be received so thank you for the support. 
> 
> This final chapter is an epilogue of sorts and is shorter than the previous ones. I hope the ending of the story meets the expectations of everyone who has been reading.

It was a beautiful day; far too beautiful to be at a funeral.

That was what Louis thought as he looked at the crowd of mourners dressed in black standing around the hole in the ground. He shuddered at the thought that if things had been different the assembled group could have been there for him or Harry. He shook the thoughts from his head as the car passed the cemetery and continued on its way towards the hospital.

Louis had visited Harry in the hospital every day since what had happened. When Harry was first taken in he hadn’t actually left the hospital; he had remained by his side, hoping that Harry would wake up and everything would be alright. It had taken a few days but eventually Harry had opened his eyes and he was now on the slow and frustrating road to recovery.

The doctors had finally decided that Harry could go for a walk outside the hospital building. He had been a less than well-behaved patient and they reasoned that letting him out was better than having him try to sneak out and hurting himself even more.

When Harry initially regained consciousness he was barely awake for a few minutes before he was knocked out again by incredibly strong pain-killers. Now that he wasn’t constantly being injected with the drugs, the nurses that were dealing with him were threatening to keep him sedated just to stop him being such a bad patient.

Of course Harry was grateful for everything they were doing for him but he was so frustrated and he hated the knowledge that it was going to take months before he got totally back on his feet. He knew he was lucky to be alive. A badly broken leg, a few broken ribs, a severe concussion and a lot of painful cuts and bruises – it was a miracle that he had survived with so few injuries. It was just the fact that he had to hobble about on crutches with a full-leg plaster cast that caused him so much irritation. He knew there’d be months of physiotherapy appointments and sitting around before he could get back to work.

Louis was grateful to have been able to take Harry outside the hospital for a change. He could see how frustrated Harry was and how fed-up he was of sitting on his hospital bed. So even though Harry was limping along with his crutches he could see the slightest look of happiness on his face.

“They said I should be getting out by the end of the week,” Harry said as he hobbled along. “I think they’ll be glad to see the back of me.”

“Yeah, I get the impression you’re testing them. One of the nurses said you tried to sneak out again last night,” Louis replied.

Harry laughed lightly, “You know me - I was just checking their security. Turns out, it’s pretty damn good.”

Louis shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Maybe I could give you some pointers about how to give someone the slip,” he said with a cheeky smile before he gestured that they should sit down for a while on a nearby bench. He watched guiltily as Harry lowered himself onto the bench carefully and tried to conceal the wince of pain that flashed across his face.

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about for a while,” Louis said as he chewed on his bottom lip.

Harry looked at him expectantly and nodded that he should go on.

“I don’t really know how to say this so I’ll just get on with it,” Louis began. “I…I don’t want you to be my bodyguard anymore.”

Harry’s face fell and he looked down at his outstretched, plaster-covered leg. He took a deep breath and then replied. “I understand Louis. I guess I’m not that surprised really. I’m sorry that I let you down.”

“What are you talking about?” Louis asked in shock.

“Well, you know. I didn’t exactly keep you very safe. Your ex could have killed you that night…he nearly did. I let you down.”

“No you didn’t!” Louis practically erupted. “Harry, you saved my life. If it wasn’t for you he would _definitely_ have killed me. You kept me safe and then when I needed you the most you were there. You almost got yourself killed saving me. I’ll be eternally grateful for everything you’ve done for me.”

Harry looked a little sheepish at Louis’ declaration but he also looked quite confused. “I just assumed that you weren’t very happy about what had happened,” he said quietly.

“Well no I wasn’t very happy, but not because I thought you’d let me down. I wasn’t happy because my ex-boyfriend tried to kill me which, you know, kind of sucks. And, well, I was so worried about you.”

“Oh,” Harry nodded slowly but he still looked a little lost.

Louis looked at him steadily and swallowed. He looked the most nervous Harry had seen him in a long time. “The reason I don’t want you to be my bodyguard anymore isn’t because I don’t think you’re good at your job. It’s because I know that if you’re my bodyguard that’s all you’ll ever be and I…I want more than that. I want us to be together…properly. I really think we’d be good together. Everything that’s happened has just made me realise how I feel. When I saw you get hit that night,” he paused and drew in a sharp breath. “I thought…I thought you were dead and I realised how stupid I’d been for not telling you how I felt.”

Harry’s look of confusion seemed to gradually change as he listened to Louis’ words. Understanding dawned on him and he felt his heart jump at little at what he heard. He just gazed at Louis for a long time before he realised that he should probably say something before Louis chewed his lower lip away in worry. “You know that we can never be together,” he began and watched as Louis’ face fell slightly, “if I’m your bodyguard,” he continued quickly and smiled cheekily as Louis’ eyes narrowed. “So…I quit.”

Louis laughed brightly, the relief was flowing from him in waves. “You can’t quit,” he smiled. “I’d already fired you.”

The feeling that nothing was going to stand in their way anymore seemed to have infected them both with laughter. They only stopped when Louis leant over suddenly and captured Harry’s lips in an excited kiss. Harry reached up and stroked his hand through Louis’ hair gently.

They were both smiling widely when they eventually pulled away.

“You do realise that we’ll have to find you a new bodyguard,” Harry told him.

Louis leant forwards again and whispered against Harry’s ear, “There’s no rush. I don’t think I’ll be going far for a while when I get you home.”

A tingle of excited anticipation travelled down Harry’s spine at the words. He turned his head and pressed his lips against Louis’ again. Maybe there would be some benefits to being laid up in bed for a while after all.


End file.
